The

Halloween
Encyclopedia
SECOND EDITION
 ALSO BY LISA MORTON
AND FROM MCFARLAND

Savage Detours: The Life and Work of Ann Savage (2010)

A Hallowe’en Anthology: Literary and
Historical Writings Over the Centuries (2008)
The Cinema of Tsui Hark (2001; paperback 2009)
 The
Halloween
Encyclopedia
SECOND EDITION

Lisa Morton

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers

Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Morton, Lisa, 1958–
The Halloween encyclopedia /
Lisa Morton.— 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-7864-6074-8
illustrated case binding : 50# alkaline paper

1. Halloween — Encyclopedias. I. Title.

GT4965.M673 2011 394.2646'03 — dc22 2011000088

BRITISH LIBRARY CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE

© 2011 Lisa Morton. All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.

Front cover © 2011 Shutterstock

Manufactured in the United States of America

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers

Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
[Link]
 Acknowledgments

Stumbling through the dark maze of Halloween fact and fallacy is no easy task,
and I’m indebted to Rick Kleffel and Cheri Scotch for tips on Celtic references; to
Chris Jarocha-Ernst for some haunted house lore; the staff of the Central Los An-
geles Public Library (surely the most knowledgeable and helpful public servants in
Los Angeles!); to Pamela Apkarian-Russell, Lesley Bannatyne, David Bertolino of
Spooky World, Lori M. Garst (Curatorial Assistant, Biltmore Estate), Rich Hanf,
Matthew Kirscht, Jack Santino, Al Sarrantonio, Stuart Schneider, Hank Schwae-
ble, and Tim of the late great Hallowed Haunting Grounds for providing some fab-
ulous entries (and photos); Sue and Del (and the girls) at Dark Delicacies, for books,
support and patience; Bob Johnson, for providing some great collectibles (and
stress-relieving stories); Brett Thompson, for digging through endless boxes and
putting up with my schedule; Dan and the Iliad Bookshop, for information, re-
sources, time and sundry other things that authors need to live; Ricky Lee Grove,
for — well, everything else; and Mom and Dad, for putting up with those endless
weird Halloween costumes (see, they finally paid off ).

v
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 Contents

Acknowledgments v
Preface to the Second Edition 1
Preface to the First Edition 3

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA 5

Appendix I: Chronology of Halloween 213

Appendix II: Halloween in Literature and the Arts 216
Bibliography 230
Index 243

vii
This page intentionally left blank
 Preface to the
Second Edition

Just as it always has throughout its long (students dressing up as Ku Klux Klan mem-
history, Halloween has continued to evolve in bers, for example). Halloween’s urban leg-
the eight years since the first edition of this ends— which have moved from strictly oral
book was published. In 2003, for example, tales to “netlore,” transmitted via e-mail and
haunted houses were certainly nothing new, social networking sites— have grown even
but there was hardly a massive haunted at- uglier, with middle-class tensions reflected
tractions industry that employed thousands in paranoid tales of “gang initiations” that
and claimed to generate a billion dollars a will kill masses of women on Halloween.
year in revenue. Nor had “agri-tainment”— These new fears (all baseless), with their po-
in which farmers convert part of their tentially high body counts, make the old leg-
acreage into a seasonal attraction like a ends of razor blades hidden in apples seem
pumpkin patch or corn maze — yet become positively nostalgic.
an important source of profit for many small The study of Halloween’s history has
farms and resulted in thousands of new Hal- also taken a tremendous leap forward in
loween adventures for city dwellers every- the last few years, with the introduction of
where. websites like Google Books. The world’s li-
In the intervening eight years, Hal- braries are now online, for the most part free
loween has managed to weather unprece- to peruse and completely searchable. What
dented upheavals in the economy, politics, formerly required special trips to a library,
and even natural disasters. It’s proven to be possibly consulting with a reference librar-
recession-proof, defying the gloomiest re- ian, and hours poring over old books or
tailing predictions each year, and contrary squinting at shadowy microfiches can now
to what the naysayers have often predicted, be accomplished from home in minutes with
trick or treat for youngsters is still going a few search terms. Not only does this speed
strong. Halloween folk art has become widely up and expand the practices of research, it
available through various online sites (with also allows the writer or historian to more
some artists garnering significant follow- easily draw connections and formulate time-
ings), and the values of vintage collectibles lines. Hence you’ll find in this edition not
from the holiday’s past have risen sharply. only entirely new entries (ranging from
Sadly, not all of Halloween’s recent African Americans to the Mayan holiday of
transmogrifications have been happy ones: Xantolo), but also expanded and revised en-
Halloween-related crime has also experi- tries from the previous edition (the section on
enced an upsurge, especially hate crimes Samhain, for instance, is now far more pre-

1
Preface to the Second Edition 2

cise in pinning down the origins of the mis- plete as it could ever possibly be, but given
taken notion that this was the name of a Halloween’s transforming (and transforma-
Celtic “Lord of Death”). New illustrations tive) nature, I know that won’t be the case.
and of course a revised index have also been I can only hope that the book will provide
provided. enlightenment and entertainment to its
I’d like to say that this second edition of readers now ... and for at least a few years to
The Halloween Encyclopedia is now as com- come.
 Preface to the
First Edition

Halloween is arguably the most para- loween’s Celtic-Irish-Scottish roots as both

doxical of American holidays: Despite its harvest festival and commemoration of the
ever-increasing popularity, it is also con- dead have blossomed into the modern Amer-
demned by some and misunderstood by ican rituals of “masked solicitation” and
most. Those who celebrate the holiday have large-scale celebration. Now Halloween has
some vague idea of its antiquity, but they exploded into a retailing bonanza, trans-
commonly believe that such modern rituals forming a holiday which has been banned
as trick or treat are ancient as well. Even his- throughout the centuries into the second
torians, folklorists and other academics are most popular day of the year in twenty-first-
often confused by the holiday, and the century America.
sources available until recently were riddled The first book devoted solely to Hal-
with error and fantasy. Throughout most of loween was published just over a century
the twentieth century, for example, the Celtic ago; now this book is the first encyclopedic
year-end festival of Samhain was instead be- reference on the holiday. Like the earliest
lieved to be a celebration of the Celts’ “Lord books on the subject, this book also covers
of Death,” also supposedly named Samhain history, folklore, fortune-telling and even
(modern archaeology and scholarship have party activities; however, unlike the earliest
now disproved this colorful if morbid no- works on the holiday, this book draws on a
tion). Likewise, Halloween’s origins were century of sources.
partly attributed to the Roman harvest festi- Unfortunately, many of those source
val Pomona, when in fact Pomona was no books are little more than collections of fairy
more than a minor wood-nymph deity who tales. They often seem to have been poorly
was little honored outside of her sacred researched, and displayed prejudice or pre-
grove. dilection on the part of their authors. For this
The concept of Halloween as a holiday volume, research included not just the stan-
and cultural phenomenon worthy of serious dard Halloween references (including Ruth E.
study is barely two decades old; only since Kelley’s 1919 The Book of Hallowe’en and
the mid–1980s have we begun to accept that Ralph and Adelin Linton’s 1950 Halloween
Halloween’s unique place in modern society Through Twenty Centuries), but also refer-
(especially American society) merits atten- ences in the fields of Celtic, Roman and Irish
tion beyond horror fiction and children’s history, chronicles of the Catholic Church,
books. Folklorists such as Jack Santino have modern studies of paganism and witchcraft,
led the way in understanding how Hal- folklore collections (including John Brand’s

3
Preface to the First Edition 4

standard Observations on Popular Antiqui- are often compared to Halloween (Japan’s

ties, which includes its own set of errors), Bon Festival, the Mexican Days of the Dead).
newspaper accounts, pamphlets and even The entries are presented in alphabeti-
booklets produced by American cities trying cal order, with cross-references in the entries
to curb destructive Halloween pranking. The in small capital letters throughout. Refer-
present volume also, of course, includes en- ences are also found in the index.
tries on the more modern activities, includ- Two appendices have been included
ing trick or treat, haunted houses, and re- here: Appendix I shows a simple chronolog-
tailing. ical timeline of the holiday’s history, and Ap-
While it is not within the scope of this pendix II briefly discusses Halloween in lit-
book to discuss every similar celebration erature and the arts. The main purpose of
(harvest festival or commemoration of the this second appendix is not to provide de-
dead) throughout the world, there are en- tailed analyses of the films, books and other
tries on certain other celebrations which works of art discussed, but rather to demon-
have influenced or been influenced by Hal- strate how Halloween has been shown in —
loween in some way (Thanksgiving, Mart- and changed by — popular media.
inmas), and entries on major festivals which
 A
Acorn— Fruit of the oak; a tree is usually African Americans—The history of African
about twenty years old before acorns appear. Americans and Halloween mirrors the his-
Although oak trees were sacred to the CELTS tory of American racism. In his 1904 poem
and supposedly featured in many rites of the “Hallowe’en,” black poet Charles Frederick
DRUIDS, acorns are infrequently mentioned in White implies that African American chil-
Halloween customs. This stanza from an dren of the time participated in the same
1898 poem by B. M. Teggart illustrates an Halloween activities that their Caucasian
Irish Halloween custom: counterparts did; however, Halloween party
And some have acorns— these once graced booklets and playlets from the 1920s and ’30s
By fairy king and queen, paint a different picture, suggesting that
Upon the low back hob are placed stereotypes of African Americans developed
For luck, at Halloween. and perpetuated in 19th century minstrel
Acorns are also mentioned in one German shows— mainly that blacks were supersti-
trickster story which is very similar to the tious and buffoonish — hadn’t changed in
legends behind JACK-O’-LANTERN: A farmer decades. Here, for example, is a poem enti-
makes a deal with the DEVIL, and agrees to tled “Superstitions” (which literally refer-
pay up when he harvests his first crop. The ences the classic “mammy” stereotype), from
farmer then goes out and plants acorns. a 1937 book for children:

Acrostics— A popular early twentieth-cen- The old colored mammy who lives down the
tury American Halloween event, presented road
Says, “Don’ you walk unner dat ladder!
as either a party GAME or part of a school pre-
Go home if you sees a black cat cross yer paff
sentation (along with PLAYS, RECITATIONS, And, chile, watch out for yer shadder.”
MONOLOGS and EXERCISES ). In an acrostic, She says, “No luck ever come ter a house
each letter of the word Halloween is used to Where a dog he bay at the moon.”
spell out a Halloween activity (if presented She knows the meaning of spilling salt
onstage, each letter would be carried by a dif- Or dropping a fork or spoon.
ferent child, entering one at a time until the She’s superstitious— I know she is!
name was spelled out across the stage). Here’s But Hallowe’en — I remember them all —
a typical Halloween acrostic by Alice Crow- And believe them, too— don’t you?
ell Hoffman: The Giant Hallowe’en Book from 1934
H appy children pranking, includes a playlet that uses a derogatory term
A pples bobbing, too, as an eponymous character —“Rastus Goes
L ively little brownies Walking” (intended to be performed by
L ooking straight at you. white actors in blackface)— and the same
O wls with mournful hooting,
W itches riding sticks,
book includes the suggested party theme
E lves and cats and goblins, “Hallowe’en in Harlem,” in which the deco-
E ach one up to tricks. rations are principally dolls made up as
N ow it can be plainly seen “darkies” with “black faces and big red
That at last it’s Halloween! mouths.”

5
Ahoppa Awan Tewa 6

Visual depictions of African Americans nightclub safely protected by a mask. In a

at Halloween from this same period are sim- 1971 article, comic Dick Gregory commented
ilarly stereotyped, typically depicting young on his childhood poverty and noted that Hal-
black children with exaggerated expressions loween was the only holiday he really en-
fleeing in terror from various apparitions. joyed: “Halloween was the one day we could
Halloween racism was hardly limited to wear our regular clothes and people thought
offensive plays, POSTCARDS, and poems, how- we were dressed for the occasion.”
ever, as Halloween also became a special time In the 1990s, one high school in Detroit,
for perpetrating racially-motivated acts of vi- Michigan, attempted to combat racism on
olence. The Ku Klux Klan, the notorious Halloween by renaming the day “Heritage
racist group, provided guidelines to mem- Day,” and suggesting that students dress as
bers that included the suggestion that “ha- famous African American historical figures.
rassing should always have a humorous twist African Americans are not the only
and be in the nature of Halloween pranks to group to experience acts of Halloween prej-
obscure the deadly seriousness behind the udice: In Milford, Connecticut, for example,
work”; summoned to appear before Congress headstones in a Jewish cemetery were defaced
in 1921, members of the Klan asked why their on Halloween in 1999; and a 1989 incident
cowls should be questioned when Halloween in which a homeless man was beaten to death
celebrants routinely wore MASKS. In 1931, 7- by a masked gang on Halloween in New York
year-old Truman Capote set off a scandal in led other homeless to call the crime an ex-
Monroeville when he invited black children ample of “growing bigotry” towards the
to his Halloween party; Klansmen appeared homeless.
in full regalia, but were successfully rebuffed
Ahoppa Awan Tewa—Zuñi celebration held
by the father of Capote’s neighbor and
towards the end of October (the name means
friend, Harper Lee (future author of To Kill
“the dead their day”). Food for the dead is
a Mockingbird). In 1959, eight white youths
thrown on the house-fire or carried to a
in the town of Corinth, Mississippi, killed a
“wide ditch” on the riverside. At nightfall,
young African American on Halloween
boys go about town in groups; at each door-
night, and set off months of interracial vio-
step they make the sign of the cross and say
lence and tensions.
a Mexican prayer, or polasenya. In return,
Racial stereotypes continue to appear
the boys are given presents of bread or meat.
at contemporary Halloween celebrations: In
The Zuñi believe this day is completely a
2001, 185 students from Auburn University
Zuñi tradition.
were suspended after they posted photos on
the internet showing a Halloween party in All Fools’ Day (also April Fools’ Day)—Tra-
which white students in Ku Klux Klan cos- ditionally held April 1. Although the origin of
tumes acted out the lynching of other white the day is uncertain, it’s been celebrated as a
students in blackface. In 2007, the Sigma Chi day of practical jokes and PRANKING for the
fraternity at Johns Hopkins University in last few hundred years. Pranks perpetrated
Baltimore held a “Halloween in the Hood” on this day traditionally have a designated
party, and requested that those attending victim, who is made aware of the situation
wear “ghetto” clothing, including “hoochie,” when the prankster shouts out, “April Fool!”
“mack,” and “hustla” costumes. Some pranks— such as setting fire to a paper
Occasionally Halloween worked in bag full of manure — are identical to Hal-
favor of African Americans: Famed singer loween pranks; others, such as persuading
Ethel Waters was persuaded to try her first someone to go on a false errand, are specific
attempt at a professional performance on to April Fools’.
Halloween, since she could attend the local In “Halloween in America: Contempo-
 7 All Saints’ Day

rary Customs and Performances,” JACK SAN- worship to be given to God, the joy proper to
TINO notes that Halloween and April Fools’ the Lord’s Day, or the due relaxation of mind
(the two days acknowledged for pranking) and body.” The feast is held on the first of
occur on almost opposite points of the cal- the octave, and is observed by Roman Catho-
endar, and he suggests that April Fools’ lics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and some
pranks represent a season moving from other Protestant denominations.
death to life (spring), while Halloween Reference to a feast like All Saints’ first
pranks reflect the time of moving from life occurs in the writings of St. Ephrem Syrus
to death (winter). (A.D. 306–373), while St. Chrysostom (A.D.
347–407) assigned to it a definite day, the
All-Hallowmas see All Saints’ Day first Sunday after Pentecost (when it is still
All-Hallown Summer— The warm season observed in the East). The day was not fully
which sets in about Halloween; sometimes established until the consecration of the Pan-
called “the second summer,” or (in America) theon in Rome to Christian usage by Pope
“Indian summer.” The French call it L’Été de Boniface IV on May 13, 609 (the Pantheon
St. Martin, or “St. Martin’s Summer,” and was originally a pagan temple first built in
date it from about October 9 to November 27 B.C., and was given to the Church by the
11 (which is MARTINMAS). Also called “St. Roman Emperor Phocas; it was consecrated
Luke’s Summer” (October 18 is St. Luke’s to the Virgin Mary and all the martyrs under
Day). In Henry IV Part One, Shakespeare the name Santa Maria Rotunda). The day
uses the term: “Farewell, thou latter spring; was celebrated on May 13 until Pope Gregory
farewell, All-hallown Summer!” See also III (whose pontificate ran from 731 to 741)
WEATHER. dedicated a chapel in the Basilica of St. Peter
to “All the Saints” on November 1. Gregory IV
All Hallows’ Day see All Saints’ Day (pope from 827 to 844) ordered its universal
All Hollands Day—Hampshire name for All observance, and Sixtus IV (1471–1484) added
Saints’ Day. The day was celebrated with the octave (which was suppressed in 1955)
plum CAKES called “All Holland cakes” or “All and liturgical vigil. At the Reformation the
Hallan cakes.” A 1902 account notes the festival was retained in the calendars of the
proper name for the round cakes is “Hallow Church of England and many of the Luth-
buns,” and adds that they are called “Hol- eran churches; in the latter, however, it has
land cakes” at Petersfield. fallen into complete disuse. In the calendar
in the Alternative Service Book (1980), the
All Saints’ Day (also All Hallows’ Day, All- Octave Day (November 8) is assigned to the
hallowmas, Haliday)— Christian feast day “Saints and Martyrs of England.”
observed on November 1, the eve of which is The choice of date for All Saints’ Day
now celebrated as Halloween (from “All Hal- has spurred a considerable amount of debate
lows’ Even”). The day celebrates all Chris- among academics. Although many chroni-
tian saints (known and unknown); it’s also clers of the Catholic Church believe the date
the eve of ALL SOULS’ DAY, so prayer for the was moved to November 1 (just after HAR-
dead figures in the days’ rituals. A festival of VEST) in order to more easily feed the many
the first rank, once with vigil and octave (an pilgrims who flocked to Rome for the cele-
eight-day period celebrated after the festi- bration, most historians believe the date was
val, during which special prayers are said shifted to assist Irish missionaries in turn-
daily), All Saints’ is also a holy day of oblig- ing the Celts away from observing their great
ation on which all Catholics are obliged to festival of SAMHAIN, which began at sunset
attend mass, and they must abstain from on October 31. A famous letter from Pope
“work or business that would inhibit the GREGORY I to a missionary on his way to En-
All Saints’ Day 8

gland (dated 601) first discusses the doctrine areas, however, record specific All Saints’
of SYNCRETISM, or trying to co–opt pagan Day customs, such as a children’s BONfiRE
practices as opposed to aggressively stamping noted in eighteenth-century Leicestershire.
them out. Interestingly, one point in favor of In 19th century Derbyshire, it was a common
this argument may be the original date for All Saints’ Day custom to decorate the graves
All Saints’ Day: May 13 was once the final of deceased loved ones with flowers. A me-
night of the three-day Roman festival of the dieval practice involved celebrating All
dead LEMURIA. Saints’ Day with a procession around the
All Saints’ Day has been celebrated all church in which parishioners dressed as an-
over the world for hundreds of years, and gels and saints (and even a few devils), and
nearly every country which celebrates it has may have been a forerunner to the modern
developed unique customs. Some of these TRICK OR TREAT.
customs have obviously contributed to the In Britain the day was once celebrated
contemporary rituals of Halloween, while by the ringing of BELLS and by SOULING.
others remain unique to All Saints’ Day. In In France the day is known as TOUS-
some areas there was little actual observance SAINT; graves there are decorated for the week
of All Saints’ since it fell between Halloween prior to November 1. In one French custom,
(Samhain) and All Souls Day; a few British children ask their neighbors for flowers with
which to decorate the churches on this date.
In Brittany, macabre PRANKING is popular,
with children putting up CANDLES in GRAVE-
YARDS or rattling bones in pails on Halloween
night.
In many European areas candles and
lanterns are lit on All Saints’ Eve and left
burning through the night. In Germany,
where the day is known as Allerheiligen, they
call these “lights of the holy souls” Seelen-
lichter.
One of the loveliest All Saints’ Day cel-
ebrations is found at the contemporary site
of the notorious Nazi concentration camp
Auschwitz in Poland. Each November 1st,
visitors to the Auschwitz I site place thou-
sands of lighted candles around the camp in
commemoration of the camp’s victims dur-
ing World War II.
In Belgium, it’s called Aller-Heiligen
Dag; there the traditional observance in-
cludes cemetery visiting, grave decorating
and candle lighting on the Eve.
In Spain at dark on Halloween CAKES
and NUTS are laid on graves to bribe the spir-
its not to disturb the vigils of the saints.
In the Portuguese Cape Verde islands
(off the west coast of Africa), the Day of the
Eleventh-century manuscript portrait of Pope Faithful Dead (dia di fiel difunt’) was cel-
Gregory I ebrated three days after All Saints’ Day.
 9 All Saints’ Day

Families offered small

amounts of money to
priests to say a prayer
for any departed rela-
tives who had died at an
age when they’d been
“old enough to sin”
(likely 12 years of age or
older); GHOSTS were
thought to be in atten-
dance, and it was be-
lieved that lame ghosts
had set out three days
earlier to arrive in time.
Children were warned
to avoid a large plant
called the palh’ fed’ on
All Saints’ Day; playing
near the plant, which 1904 magazine illustration depicting All Saints’ Day (by E. Friant)
held white blossoms
large enough to hide under, might cause the “Good night, good night. Who is here? I
unwary child to be caught by the finad’ pé come, I come.” Food prepared for the dead is
quebrad’, a ghost with a broken leg. unsalted, and families save the wax from
In certain areas of North America (e.g. candles burned on this day to cure colds,
New Mexico), All Saints’ Day is celebrated rheumatism, and other ills.
by bringing FOOD for the parish priest. In In the Philippines the day is called
Acoma, New Mexico, boys once went about Undas, and families spend the day and night
in groups uttering an invocation which at graves, decorating, lighting candles, and
translated roughly to: even playing bingo or mah-jongg.
Let’s pray, let’s pray, In Guatemala, the Santiago Atitlan In-
We are little angels, dians celebrate All Saints’ Day and All Souls’
From heaven we come Day with a kite festival, since they believe
If you don’t give to us sending the kites up to the heavens helps
Your doors and windows them to communicate better with their de-
We will break. ceased kin. The kites are very large and col-
(See DAYS OF THE DEAD for other references orful.
to angelic children on this day). The Acoma In Bolivia it is Kawsas Qanchis (“Our
boys also rang a bell and uttered the prayer: Living with the Dead”), and the following
“Padre spirito santo amen.” Food was placed day is Kachaypari (“send off ”), when souls
in the cemetery for the dead. are sent on their way by the pounding feet of
In Mexico it’s El Día de los Santos, or many dancers. Families feast, with a table set
simply Todos Santos, and is celebrated as part just for the returned souls’ meals. Special
of a larger festival (which incorporates both foods include boiled beans, grain, and baked
the Catholic tradition and pre–Columbian potatoes. Designated eaters called Mihuq
themes) known as Days of the Dead. even eat on behalf of the dead.
In Trinidad, FAMILIES visit graves on All In New Orleans, All Saints’ Day in the
Saints’ Day, then return home, where they nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was
knock THREE times and then enter saying, a festive time, with visits to graveyards to
All Saints’ Day Weather 10

clean and decorate tombs, mixed with feast- served from 999–1003) approved and rec-
ing, partying, and gossiping; in fact, a 1904 ommended it. By the end of the thirteenth
guidebook to the city says that “New Orleans century the day was almost universally ob-
has two great festivals— the CARNIVAL, when served; by the fourteenth century, Rome
she invites strangers from all parts of the placed the day of the commemoration of all
world to come and make merry with her, and the faithful departed in the official books of
‘All Saints,’ the great home festival, when, the Western Church for November 2 (until
heart to heart, the entire city meets on com- 1970, the day was celebrated on November
mon ground to pay its tribute to the loved 3, if the second fell on a Sunday). However,
and lost.” Graves were decorated with huge the day was once deemed of such importance
bouquets of chrysanthemums, and boys that if it fell on a Sunday it was celebrated on
often earned extra money by offering grave- the previous Saturday, so that the souls in
cleaning services. New Orleans’s state of PURGATORY should not be forced to wait un-
Louisiana remains the only one in the U.S. necessarily (thus All Saints’ Day and All
which recognizes All Saints’ Day as a legal Souls’ Day were occasionally celebrated to-
holiday. gether). Indeed, November 2 was chosen in
order that the memory of all the “holy spir-
“All Saints’ Day Weather”— In some parts its” both of the saints in Heaven and of the
of Europe it is common to call cold, foggy, souls in Purgatory should be celebrated on
misty conditions “All Saints’ Day WEATHER.” two successive days, to express the Christian
belief in the “Communion of Saints.” In the
All Souls’ Day (also SOUL-MASS DAY, Sau- Greek Rite the day is held on the Saturday
mas)— Christian celebration observed on before Sexagesima Sunday and is called the
November 2. All Souls’ is a day of commem- “Saturday of the Souls” (Psychosabbaton).
oration in the Roman Catholic Church on During the Reformation it was abolished in
which special intercession is made for the the Church of England, but its celebration
souls of the dead in the belief that those not survived among the Continental Protestants,
yet purified sufficiently will be aided by the especially in Saxony, where, though its ec-
prayers of the living. All Souls’ Day (unlike clesiastical sanction has long since lapsed, its
ALL SAINTS’ DAY) is not a holy day of oblig- memory survives in popular custom. In 1915
ation; it is celebrated with the recitation of Pope Benedict XV gave permission for
the Office of the Dead, and the mass is a re- priests to celebrate the afore–mentioned
quiem. All Souls’ Day is often celebrated three masses on All Souls’ Day (a privilege
with three special masses: one in honor of confined to this day and CHRISTMAS). The
the departed souls, one in honor of a cause Mass contains the famous sequence “DIES
designated each year by the pope, and one in IRAE” (since 1969 no longer obligatory). The
recognition of a cause selected by the parish liturgical color at all services on November 2
priest. is black (“BLACK VESPERS”). In some areas
The day was instituted as a memorial priests lead a procession through the ceme-
(called “day of all the departed ones” or Om- tery, blessing graves with holy water and
nium Defunctorum) in 998 A.D. by Odilon, reciting liturgical prayers for the dead.
Abbot of Cluny (also known as ST. ODILO); Essentially, All Souls’ is the adaptation of
according to one popular legend, he began an almost worldwide custom of setting aside
the celebration after he was told by a pilgrim a part of the year for the dead. The EGYPTIAN
returning from the Holy Land about an is- FEAST OF THE DEAD commemorated the death
land on which an opening to the infernal re- of Osiris. The Greek commemorative feast
gions permitted travelers to hear the groans of All Souls’ was held on the last day of the
of the tormented. Pope Silvester II (who ANTHESTERIA; the Romans celebrated theirs
 11 All Souls’ Day

during the PARENTALIA, which occurred in except a blessed candle saved from Candle-
February, and the LEMURIA, in mid–May. In mas Day, say rosaries and offer prayers.
Japan the BON FESTIVAL is celebrated at the In eastern Wales, on the eve of All Souls’
same time that YUE LAAN is remembered in Day children beg house-to-house:
many Chinese-speaking areas of the world, in
An apple or a pear, a plum or a cherry,
either July or August (the Chinese also cele-
Or any good thing to make us merry.
brate CH’ING MING in April). The Zuni cel-
ebration of AHOPPA AWAN TEWA means “the In parts of Great Britain, “soulers” still
dead their day,” and the Odawa tribe in circulate with a hobby horse (for the horse
Michigan offer food to the dead during the that bears away the souls of the dead on her
annual ODAWA GHOST SUPPER. back), and beg for “soul-cakes.”
Scholars have often suggested that All In France the Jour des Morts begins two
Souls’ Day was inaugurated by the Church or three weeks prior to the day, as shop-win-
because All Saints’ Day alone had not been dows and kiosks are laden with wreaths and
successful in replacing the pagan CELTS’ cel- garlands of immortelles. On All Saints’ Day
ebration of SAMHAIN, and All Saints’ Day and or TOUSSAINT, cemeteries are visited and
All Souls’ Day were often combined into a graves are cleaned and decorated; churches
single long celebration. In fact, many of the are draped in black on this day. In Brittany,
traditions associated more strongly with All the day was commonly acknowledged with
Souls’ Day seem to be the real precursors of prayer and visits to GRAVEYARDS, where milk
the modern celebration of Halloween. might be poured over graves. One older Bre-
In many Catholic countries the belief ton custom involved four men who alter-
that the dead return on this day is so strong nated tolling the church bell for an hour on
that FOOD is left on the tables, and FAMILIES All Saints’ Day after dark. Four other men
decorate the graves of their dead. An eigh- went from farm to farm during the night
teenth-century report notes children in Fin- ringing hand bells and chanting in each
dern, Derbyshire (England) making special place, “Christians awake, pray to God for the
BONfiRES on November 2 called TINDLES, the souls of the dead, and say the Pater and Ave
purpose of which was to light the way out of for them.” Those inside their houses replied
Purgatory for dead souls. Prior to the Refor- “Amen” and began to pray. In mid–nine-
mation, it was customary to distribute food teenth-century Brittany, a “procession of
and alms to the poor in return for their ser- tombs” was held: All the celebrants formed a
vice of offering prayer for the dead on this line and walked about the cemetery, calling
day; the traditional food was usually reported the names of those who were dead, as they
as “SOUL CAKES,” small CAKES sometimes de- approached their resting places. On the Eve
scribed as hot-cross buns, current-topped of All Souls’ the religious service “BLACK VES-
buns or small round loaves. A traditional PERS” was held. After church, the congrega-
rhyme was sometimes spoken by the “soul- tion proceeded to the ossuary, where bones
ers” on this day: from over-full graveyards were kept. The
doors of the ossuary were opened on this
A Soule-cake, a Soule-cake,
night, and some knelt inside among the
Have mercy on all Christen soules for a
Soule-cake. bones while others knelt on the grass out-
side, with the only light provided by candles
It is a custom in many Catholic areas of burning on each grave. They sang the “Com-
central Europe to ring church BELLS at the plaint of the Charnel-house,” a Breton
approach of dusk on All Saints’ Day, to re- hymn. The ceremony of the veille continued
mind the people to pray for the souls in Pur- after leaving the churchyard, with dinners
gatory. Families then extinguish all CANDLES of hot pancakes, curds and cider put out for
All Souls’ Day 12

the family spirits at home; fires were banked, especially their homes. For this reason, doors
chairs put around, and finally the families re- and windows were kept open on All Souls’
tired. A bell-ringer walked the streets to re- Day.
mind everyone of the wandering dead. Later, In Western Europe people still prepare
a band of singers—“the chanters of the special All Souls’ Day meals of cooked beans
dead”— went through the village and rapped or peas or lentils, called “soul food,” which
on each door to wake all sleepers, whereupon they afterward serve to the poor together
they chanted another Breton hymn, “the with meat and other dishes. In Poland the
Complaint of the Souls.” On the Isle of Sein, farmers hold a solemn meal on the evening
four young men stayed in church during the of All Souls’ Day, with empty seats and plates
night, tolling the bells hourly. Four other ready for souls of the departed. Uneaten food
men went to every house on the island where is given to beggars or poor neighbors.
someone had died during the previous year, “All Souls’ Bread” (Seelenbrot in Ger-
and called on the residents to say the De Pro- man) is popular in many parts of Europe. In
fundis with them. In Finistere (the western some sections of Europe boys might receive
point of France) they say that on the Eve of a cake in the shape of a hare, and girls would
All Souls “there are more dead in every house be given one in the shape of a hen. These
than sands on the shore.” At Douarnenez, if cakes are made of braided strands of sweet
any sailor or fisherman had drowned and the dough (also used on All Saints’) and are
body had never been recovered, on All Souls’ called “All Saints’ cakes” (Heiligenstriezel in
Day the women sailed far out with the men German, Strucel Swiateczne in Polish, Mind-
and said the De Profundis for their lost one at szenti Kalacska in Hungarian).
SEA. Although the Church does not have an
In Provence, All Souls’ Eve was the time established octave for All Souls, in some areas
for a solemn family reunion. An All Souls’ of central Europe the eight days following
folk song from Provence tells of a sexton who All Souls are devoted to prayers, penance and
stole the shroud of a corpse, and the fate that acts of charity. This time of the year is called
befell him. The Bretons also tell a similar tale, “Soul Nights” (Seelennächte in German).
that of YANN POSTICK and the doom that Blessed candles are burned and the rosary
comes to him when he ignores the duties of is said every night. The Liturgical Prayer
All Souls’ Day. runs: “O God, Creator and Redeemer of all
In Poland, and in Polish churches of the the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy ser-
United States, the faithful bring to their par- vants departed the remission of all their sins,
ish priest on All Souls’ Day paper sheets with that through our devout prayers they may
black borders called Wypominki (“naming”) obtain the pardon which they have always
on which are written the names of their desired.”
beloved dead. During the evening devotions In Germany the day is Allerseelen. At
in November, and on Sundays, the names are noon the church bells ring, freeing souls until
read from the pulpit and prayers are offered. the noon bell rings again the next day. KNIVES
The Polish also once told the story of how, must not be left with blades upturned on this
on MIDNIGHT on All Souls’ Day, a great light day, because the wandering souls could in-
was seen in the parish church; the souls of jure themselves; likewise, pans must not be
all the departed parishioners who were still in left to stand over heat, although the stove
Purgatory would gather there to pray for should be kept lit to warm the otherworldly
their release before the very altar where they visitors. Bowls of butter and fat are left out
used to receive the Blessed Sacrament when to soothe their wounds, and cold milk to cool
still alive. Afterward the souls were said to their souls. Seelenwecken, specially-shaped
visit the scenes of their earthly life and labors, pastries, are given to children by their god-
 13 All Souls’ Day

parents. Children here once went house-to- In rural sections of Austria the holy
house, RHYMING and receiving special BREADS. souls are said to wander through the forests
Although FORTUNE-TELLING was most on All Souls,’ sighing and praying for their
commonly practiced at this time in the release; children are told to pray aloud while
British Isles, the Germans had several forms going through open spaces to church and
of All Souls’ divinations; in one, a girl would cemetery, so pitiful souls will have consola-
go out on All Souls’ Eve and ask the name of tion. Another Austrian custom involved
the first young man she met, since it would leaving food out overnight for ghostly visi-
sound like her future husband’s. Another be- tors. Come morning, uneaten food was
lief was that to walk THREE times about a thrown into the fire.
church while making a wish would guaran- There was an Austrian belief that on All
tee that the wish would come true. Souls’ Eve at midnight, a visitor to the ceme-
In Protestant areas of Germany, they tery would see a procession of the dead draw-
celebrate Totensonntag or Ewigkeitssonntag ing after them those who were to die during
in November on the Sunday prior to the first the coming year. In the people’s theatre at
Advent Sunday. Vienna, a play called The Miller and His
At Utrecht, the day was originally called Child was acted out every All Souls’ Eve that
Schuddekorfsdag, or the day of “shaking a depicted this belief. In the play, a miller has
basket” over the fire: A basket of APPLES and a beautiful daughter, but opposes her mar-
CHESTNUTS was traditionally shaken over a riage to a young man whom she loves; in de-
fire until roasted, then given to children. spair, the young man goes to the cemetery
In Bohemia, chairs were grouped before on All Souls’ Eve, and sees the ghostly pro-
the fire in a ring, one for each member of the cession — with both the miller and himself
family both living and dead. following, meaning the poor young girl will
In the Alpine provinces of Austria des- lose both father and lover in the coming year.
titute children and beggars might go house- In Portugal, this is Día de Finados (“Day
to-house reciting prayers and singing hymns of the Dead”); magusto, or open-air feasts of
and receiving small loaves of “soul bread” as wine and chestnuts, begin on the first, and
reward. In northern Spain and in Madrid children go about singing and begging
people distribute and eat a special pastry “bread for God.” Sometimes they receive
called “Bones of the Holy” (Huesos de Santo). bolas de festa, special Day of the Dead sugar
In Catalonia a special All Souls’ pastry is cakes, flavored with cinnamon and herbs.
called Panellets (“little breads”). In Hungary In Italy All Souls’ is Il Giorno dei Morti.
on “Day of the Dead” (Halottak Napja), or- The day begins with solemn masses at five
phaned children might be invited into a fam- A.M., then the rest of the day is spent at grave-
ily for All Saints’ and All Souls’ days, where yards, cleaning and decorating graves. A fa-
they were served generous meals and given vorite food is Fave dei Morti, which translates
new clothes and toys. Hungarians also kept literally to “beans of the dead” (and possibly
the custom of caring for forgotten and ne- relates back to a ghost exorcism ritual from
glected graves as well as those of their own the Roman day of the dead LEMURIA); these
loved ones. are actually small cakes which are bean-
In one Catholic Alpine village, as soon shaped, and made of ground almonds, sugar,
as mass was heard on All Saint’s Day, women eggs, butter and flour (these are also known
began weaving wreathes of evergreen and as Pane dei Morti, or “bread of the dead”).
FLOWERS, which were carried to the ceme- During the middle ages it was also custom-
tery in the afternoon. Come evening, a lamp ary to prepare a fava bean soup to give to the
was placed on each grave as the family knelt poor on November 2, in memory of the dead.
nearby, often in snow. Engagements were sometimes announced on
All Souls’ Day 14

this day by placing the ring in a container ebrate three separate days: The Friday before
with Fave dei Morti. Roads to cemeteries are Septuagesima commemorates all departed
still thronged with sellers of candles, plaster priests; on the Friday before Sexagesima, all
figures and food and drink. In Sicily, good faithful departed are remembered; and on
children wake to presents left by dead rela- the Friday before Quinquagesima, “all those
tives (likewise, in some Italian-American who died in strange places, away from their
communities children put clean, polished parents and friends” are commemorated.
SHOES outside their doors on All Souls’ Eve, In the Philippines, the day is Undas.
in the hopes of finding them filled with Youngsters organize into singing groups
CANDY the next morning). In Palermo, candy called nangangaluluwa to collect funds (the
dolls, or pupi de cera, are sold only from early singers represent the souls of the dead); chil-
September to November 2; these dolls, which dren also engage in PRANKING. The people be-
range from two to 10 inches tall, are given as lieve that failing to clean the tomb of de-
presents on All Souls’ Day and often repre- ceased kin on All Souls’ Day will result in a
sent famous historical characters. visit from the ghostly relatives. Illness has
In Salerno and other areas of Southern often been attributed to a failure to remem-
Italy one medieval custom was to spread a ber a relative’s tomb.
table with food for wandering souls, then In the Philippines a novena is held be-
spend the day in church; upon the return to fore November 2. Candles are burned at
the house, if any food remained it was con- tombs and prayers are said every night. Dur-
sidered an ill omen. This custom was banned ing these nine days people also prepare and
in the fifteenth century as being a pagan rit- clean their family tombs and graves for the
ual, although it’s also worth noting that the great “Feast of the Souls.” On All Souls’ Eve
custom drew hordes of thieves to the city on young men go door to door asking for gifts
this day. of cookies, candy, and pastry, singing a tra-
In Naples All Souls’ Day was celebrated ditional verse:
with a somber trip to the cemetery, where
If you will give us friendly alms,
graves were decorated with metal garlands
Please do not make us wait;
and where visitors might pencil their names We want to enter Heaven’s door
on the stones or even leave calling cards. Before it is too late.
There followed a riotous return home, with
visits to roadside inns, which cleared more All Souls’ Day is a public holiday
business on this day than on any other day throughout South America, with visiting and
of the year. decorating graves found in nearly every
In the Italian village of Ravello, a curi- country.
ous All Souls’ Day custom involved placing an In Colombia, All Souls’ Day is Día de
effigy — which may possibly have been a real los Angelitos, or “Day of the Little Angels.”
mummy — dressed in clothing from an ear- After noon on November 2, one of the mem-
lier century, before the high altar. bers of a dance group goes house to house,
In Belgium, All Souls’ Eve on November carrying a wooden cross covered with flow-
1 includes feasting on “All Souls’” cakes, in ers. A boy runs behind him ringing a bell,
the belief that the more cakes eaten, the more and children join them, stopping to sing at
souls are saved from Purgatory. each house: “Angels are we, from heaven we
Armenians celebrate All Souls’ on come, asking alms, for ourselves.” People
Easter Monday with an Office of the Dead; throw fruit to the children, which in former
the Mass, however, is that of the Resurrec- times was taken to the church to share with
tion. souls in Purgatory, but in more recent times
In the Syrian-Antiochene Rite they cel- the food was shared with families.
 15 Alphabet Game

In Peru, the roads between the panteon they exclaim, “Here, eat, Grandfathers! After
(cemetery) and towns are lined with vendors, you eat, bring us crops!”
selling food, drink, and OFRENDAS (small clay At the Zuñi Pueblo in west central New
statues of animals, humans, household ob- Mexico, “Grandmothers’ Day” is the equiv-
jects, etc., used as offerings). At the tombs, alent of All Souls’ Day, and is celebrated
the oldest woman in the household directs around the end of October or early Novem-
the installation of a posada, or tent, under ber, after the crops have been harvested. Men
which family members and friends will and boys go from home to home singing and
gather during the nightlong vigil with the an- receiving food, and all make food offerings to
imas, or souls. Passersby who resemble de- the dead.
ceased family members are asked to share the An American folk belief is that for forty
repast, since it is thought to go straight to days after November 1 the souls of the dead
the stomach of the deceased through the all rise from their graves and roam freely.
lookalike.
In Mexico a three-day observance from Allantide—Cornish name for HALLOW-TIDE;
October 30 to November 2 is called DAYS OF derives from the nineteenth-century (and
THE DEAD; in some areas November 1 is also
earlier) custom of giving each member of the
given to mourning dead children, while No- family an Allan APPLE on Halloween. Eating
vember 2 is reserved for the adult spirits. the apple on Halloween night ensured good
On the Indian reservations of Pala and luck for the coming year.
Rincon east of Oceanside, California, “Night Allison Gross— The title of a Scottish ballad
of the Candle” is celebrated on November 2. in which the eponymous character, the ugli-
During the day graves are decorated and can- est WITCH “i’ the north country” endeavored
dles placed about them, and celebrants sing to seduce a fine young man. Because he re-
hymns while a priest blesses each grave. At jected her, she turned him into an ugly worm
dusk the candles are lighted. “to toddle about the tree,” but the queen of
The Cochiti Pueblo Indians in New the FAIRIES, riding by on Hallow-even, broke
Mexico refer to this day as “Their Grandfa- the spell and changed him back to his “ain
thers Arrive from the West” (or “from the proper shape.” This is the only known in-
Dead”). Each family fasts and places a large stance, in English or Scottish folklore, of a
quantity of food for the dead in the church; fairy undoing the spell of a witch.
bowls of food are also set in the corners of
houses. The material wealth of the house- Alphabet Game— A method of FORTUNE-
hold is put out for display, so visiting souls TELLING at Halloween parties involving let-
will know that their kin are prosperous. Can- ters cut from a newspaper and then floated in
dles are set out to light the way for the souls. a container of WATER; the letters might form
Women stay at home, and men congregate the name of a future spouse.
in the ceremonial chamber, or kiva, where An elaborate variant of this comes from
they sing and cut food into small pieces, Newfoundland: As the clock strikes MID-
which are thrown outside for the dead. The NIGHT on Halloween, a girl puts 26 letters of
All Souls’ Night Kachina Society moves from the alphabet, cut from paper, into a pure-
house to house, staying a few minutes at each white bowl which has been touched by the
to entertain ghosts with their dances. lips of a new-born babe only. She then re-
At Santo Domingo, the “grandfathers” cites:
who are expected to come from the west are Kind fortune, tell me where is he
fed at noon on November 2. Every person Who my future lord shall be;
digs a hole beyond the city limits, burying in From this bowl all that I claim
it a bundle of food and feathers, after which Is to know my sweetheart’s name.
Amusement Parks 16

Then she puts the bowl into a safe place until have been held every year since (except 1942
morning, when she is blindfolded and picks and 1943, when they were cancelled because
out the same number of letters as there are in of World War II). Festivities now include a
her own name; from these letters she spells Miss Anoka Ambassador Scholarship Pag-
the name of her future husband. eant, three parades (consisting of the “Light
In an American version, two complete Up the Night” parade, in which all displays
alphabets are cut up and placed face down must be lit, the “Big Parade of the Little Peo-
in water on Halloween night at midnight; ple,” an entire parade dedicated to school
those that have turned face up in the morn- children, and the Grande Day Parade, which
ing are the initials of the one you will marry. is the second largest parade in the midwest
Amusement Parks see Haunted Houses; and is always held the last Saturday of Octo-
Spooky World ber), treat giveaways, and a children’s PUMP-
KIN-carv ing contest. An estimated 45,000
Ancestor Night—Name for Halloween used spectators line up to view the Grande Day
by some practitioners of WICCA. Parade.
Animals see Bats; Cats; Cows; Crows; Anthesteria— Sometimes called the Greek
Horses; Owls; Snowbirds; Sows; Spiders; ALL SOULS’ DAY, Anthesteria was a three-day
White Hare festival in honor of Dionysus held annually at
Anoka, Minnesota—“The Halloween Cap- Athens from the 11th to the 13th of the month
ital of the World.” Anoka claims to be the of Anthesterion (February-March). Its ob-
first U.S. city to put on Halloween celebra- ject was to celebrate the maturing of the wine
tions to divert PRANKING. In 1920, George stored at the previous vintage and the be-
Green and Anoka civic leaders suggested the ginning of spring. The first two days, the
idea of a giant celebration; the Anoka Com- Pithoigia (opening of the casks) and Choes
mercial Club and the Anoka Kiwanis Club (feast of beakers) were considered as ill-
both gave their full support to the idea, and omened and required expiatory libations; on
a Halloween committee was organized to those days the souls of the dead walked
plan the event. That first year’s festivities in- abroad. On the third day, called Chutroi
cluded a PARADE, a BONFIRE, and a giveaway of (feast of pots), a festival of the dead was held.
treats to local children. The CELEBRATIONS Although the GHOSTS were welcomed to
home feasts, where places were set for them,
they were kept out of temples and sanctuar-
ies, by crossing thorn branches over the en-
trances or daubing pitch on the lintels.
In later times the Anthesteria was
largely replaced by Rousalia, held on Easter
Tuesday, although there are also reports of
Rousalia being held in conjunction with ALL
SAINTS’ DAY.
Anthropomancy—Divination using the en-
trails of human sacrifices, most often child or
virgin, sometimes prisoners. Although an-
thropomancy is thankfully not included in
any known Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING cus-
toms, it was supposedly practiced by the
DRUIDS on SAMHAIN (although there is little
Button from Anoka’s ¡996 celebration evidence to support this).
 17 Apple Seeds

Apkarian-Russell, Pamela—American Hal- The poem to be recited is sometimes given

loween collector and vintage COLLECTIBLES as this:
expert known as “the Halloween Queen.” Paring, paring, long and green,
Apkarian-Russell has, more than any other Tell my Fate for Hallowe’en.
individual, been responsible for creating an
interest in collecting Halloween memorabilia In a variant, the peelings are thrown into a
and establishing it as a recognized hobby. In bowl of WATER; another version (which is
1984 she began publishing The Trick or Treat similar to one custom involving KALE) has it
Trader, devoted to both collecting vintage that the peel is hung from a nail by the front
Halloween memorabilia and the holiday in door, and the first man to enter will have the
general; what began as a joke among a half- same initials as the future husband.
dozen or so collectors is now the standard Apple Seeds—If APPLE PARING— or using the
journal in the field and still publishing. Ap- skin of an apple — is a popular Halloween
karian-Russell is the author of four books on FORTUNE -TELLING method, the use of the
Halloween collecting, and with a personal seeds within the apple is no less popular, and
collection of over 35,000 items she probably shows an even greater number of different
holds the world’s largest collection. In 2005 customs.
she opened the CASTLE HALLOWEEN MUSEUM, In the simplest method, by cutting an
emphasizing all aspects of the holiday (“ex- apple in two, the seeds were read on Hallo-
cept blood and gore”), and including a re- ween to foretell the future: Two seeds show-
search library. She is also a career deltiologist ing predicted an early marriage, three pre-
(expert in POSTCARDS), and runs an antiques dicted wealth (or sometimes a legacy), four
business called “Chris Russell and the Hal- foretold travel (or great wealth), five brought
loween Queen.” health (or a sea voyage), six showed wisdom
(or great fame as an orator or singer), and
Apple Parings— In this popular Halloween
seven a promise of fame (or the possession
FORTUNE-TELLING custom, an APPLE is pared,
of a desired gift).
then the peelings are waved over the head
In another fortune-telling custom, two
THREE times before being thrown over the left
wet apple seeds were named for suitors and
shoulder; supposedly the peelings will form
stuck to the forehead (or cheeks, or eyelids).
the initials of one’s future beloved. The for-
The first seed to fall off indicated that the
tune-seeker is advised to recite
these lines while swinging the
paring overhead:
I pare this pippin round and
round again,
My sweetheart’s name to
flourish on the plain;
I fling the unbroken paring
o’er my head,
My sweetheart’s letter on the
ground to read.
This divination was said to be
popular with American Colonial
maidens, who instead recited:
By this paring let me discover
The initial letter of my true This ¡909 postcard shows a woman engaged in an apple par-
lover. ing divination.
Apples 18

love of him or her whose name it bore was Eight they both love;
not steadfast. In Nottinghamshire, this tradi- Nine he comes,
tion was practiced with these lines spoken: Ten he tarries,
Eleven he courts and
“Pippin, pippin, I stick thee there, Twelve he marries.
That that is true thou mayst declare.”
Apples—Apples are probably the single most
Apple seeds applied in this matter might important food item associated with Hal-
also be used to foretell poverty or wealth. loween; they are featured in GAMES (primar-
In a variation, the seeds were named for ily BOBBING FOR APPLES), FORTUNE-TELLING,
“Home” or “Travel.” FOODS ranging from candied apples to apple
Apple seeds were also sometimes placed dumplings, and popular seasonal TOYS such
on the hearth instead of NUTS; a group were as apple-head dolls. They have served as dec-
named for a girl’s suitors and placed on the oration and small JACK-O’-LANTERNS, and in
fire. The first pip to pop indicated her true the case of SNAP-APPLE NIGHT, apples are
love. In another version, THREE apple seeds even a part of one name for Halloween.
were placed on a hot stove, and named for Although the significance of apples in
Toil, Ease and Travel; once the heat caused Halloween is often attributed to a Roman
the seeds to jump, whichever was left closest harvest deity called POMONA and her festi-
to you foretold your future. val, the fruit’s holiday importance more
In one curious method, 10 to 12 apple likely stems from both Celtic beliefs and its
seeds were placed in one palm, then the timing as a harvest food. Apples were held in
hands were clapped together; the number of nearly as much esteem by the CELTS and their
apple seeds left would foretell the future, ac- DRUIDS as oak trees were. In Celtic mythol-
cording to a spoken rhyme. In a variation, ogy, the sacred tree Mugna was a yew that
all the seeds from a single apple were placed bore three kinds of fruit: the ACORN, the
on the back of the left hand, the palm of apple and the NUT. Apples were a sacred fruit
which was then struck by the right. The in the Celtic otherworld (the Celtic other-
number of seeds remaining indicated the world was Ynys Avallach, the “isle of the ap-
number of letters that would then be re- ples,” and was thought to exist off the west
ceived over the next two weeks. coast of Ireland); one of these fruits could
In another divination, 12 apple seeds provide immortality. In one hero story cen-
were set aside while the names of 12 friends tering on FINN MACCUMAL, he encounters
were written on twelve identical small slips of Dercc Corra mac hUi Daighre (“the Peaked
paper. The papers were then placed with the Red One,” also known as “the Man in the
written side down, and mixed around. Then, Tree,”) a magical being who holds a bronze
while holding the apple seeds in the left vessel in his left hand from which he pro-
hand, the following rhyme was recited, and duces nuts and apples. In another mytho-
at each line an apple seed was placed on a slip logical tale, the hero Bran is lured to the oth-
of paper, which was then turned over to re- erworld when a goddess offers him an apple
veal the friend matched to the line of the tree branch. Some Celtic mythology may
poem: have been transferred to the King Arthur leg-
ends— when Arthur dies he goes to the is-
One I love,
land of Avalon, a name that means “apple-
Two I love,
Three I love I say;
island.”
Four I love with all my heart Games involving apples have been the
Five I cast away. central event at Halloween PARTIES for at least
Six he loves, several centuries (a game of bobbing for ap-
Seven she loves, ples is even depicted in a fourteenth-century
 19 Ashes

manuscript, the Luttrell Psalter). In addition wick in Canada involved hanging an apple at
to bobbing for apples and snap-apple, apples chin height, rubbing the chin with saliva,
were also used in a variation of the Easter egg and then banging the chin against the apple;
hunt — apples and nuts were hidden around if the apple stuck to the chin, it foretold a
a house or grounds, and prizes were awarded faithful marriage.
to whoever could find the most. In another One custom that combines fortune-
game, an apple was hung from a string over- telling and a game involved twirling apples
head, then a chair or tall box was placed be- hung from strings near a fire; the order in
neath it; contestants had to keep one hand which the apples dropped from the strings
on the chair or box, run around it as fast as would foretell who would marry first, sec-
possible seven times, then try to strike the ond, etc. (whoever possessed the last apple
apple with a stick. In an American combi- to fall would remain unmarried).
nation of eating and gaming, two persons Apples have appeared in many forms as
kneel, one on each side of a chair on which Halloween party food. Apple cider (usually
two apples are placed. With their hands tied served with DOUGHNUTS) is a tradition at
behind their backs, the contestants must see American Halloween CELEBRATIONS. Candied
who can eat the most in three minutes. and caramel apples are found at many out-
Apples figure prominently in Hal- door Halloween celebrations. Apples are also
loween fortune-telling. In addition to APPLE popular in Irish homes on Halloween, found
SEEDS and APPLE PARINGS, fortunes might be in pies, tarts, dumplings and apple pudding
indicated by an apple game’s first winner (the latter made of potatoes, flour and ap-
(i.e., the first to successfully bob for an ples, with small fortune-telling tokens such
apple). In one English custom, children put as a ring, a coin and a thimble sometimes
an apple under their pillow on Halloween to added).
bring happy DREAMS; a variation of this sug- Apples have also served as Halloween
gests that an apple successfully secured by gifts: Until at least 1890, Cornish greengro-
bobbing should be placed under the pillow cers always placed extra orders of fine Allan
to reveal one’s future beloved in dreams on apples during the fall season, since they were
Halloween night. A variation of the midnight a traditional gift for children on Halloween
MIRROR fortune-telling custom has the girl (although it was also recorded that Allan ap-
eating an apple at MIDNIGHT on Halloween as ples were sold on the Saturday nearest to
she brushes her hair before the mirror. In an- Halloween, and given to every member of
other version, a girl stands before a mirror the family, to be eaten for luck, or—for older
and slices an apple into NINE slices; she holds girls— placed under the pillow to induce
each slice on the tip of the knife before eat- dreams of future husbands.)
ing, and her future husband will finally ap-
pear to ask for the last slice (a slight variant April Fools’ Day see All Fools’ Day
to this custom states that she throws the Ash (tree) see Rowan
ninth slice over her left shoulder, and at each
slice says “In the name of the Father and the Ashes— Ashes are a central element in a few
Son.”) In a more complicated version, a girl Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING customs,
should stand in front of a mirror, slice an mainly found in Ireland, the Isle of Man, and
apple, and hold each piece on the point of Lancashire. In one form of the custom, the
the knife over her left shoulder while looking fortune-seeker was told to blow on fine
into the mirror and combing her hair. The ashes; if they flew into the face, one’s future
WRAITH of her future husband will appear in marriage would be unhappy, but if they scat-
the mirror reaching for a slice of apple. tered in front of the seeker, a happy future
A custom from St. John, New Bruns- was foretold.
Auld Lang Syne 20

Ashes from the fireplace that were flat- Lang Syne” was also traditionally sung at the
tened out around the open HEARTH would be end of Halloween PARTIES.
carefully examined the morning after Hal-
Autopsy—Popular Halloween presentation,
loween; any FOOTPRINTS found then would
performed in many variations. The version
foretell the future. For example, if they
referred to as “Autopsy” involves setting up
turned toward the front door, it signified a
a back-lit sheet, behind which a “doctor”
death in the family within the year; if, how-
performs either an operation or an autopsy,
ever, they turned in the opposite direction,
removing various “body parts” which are
a marriage was indicated. One Irish story
handed around to the onlookers. In the vari-
tells of a man who didn’t believe in the re-
ation often known as “Witch’s Cauldron,” a
turn of the dead on Halloween, so he scat-
witch passes the parts down a line of party-
tered ashes about the floor. In the morning he
goers; these parts would typically include an
was found dead, and there were footprints
old glove filled with mush for a hand, a
in the ashes.
peeled grape for an eye, a soup bone, corn
Ashes from Halloween BONFIRES (espe-
kernels for teeth, a wet sponge for the brain,
cially those that were sacred or kindled by
a raw oyster for the heart, etc.
“need-fire,” or friction) were thought to have
Other scenarios were also presented be-
protective powers; they were sprinkled on
hind backlit sheets: For example, a 1938 book
fields, and even placed within SHOES.
on the early art of home movie-making sug-
One American Halloween GAME in-
gests staging a Halloween scene in which
volved a “fate ring” created by sprinkling
children glimpsed as silhouettes behind a
ashes (although FLOUR could be substituted)
sheet are chased by WITCHES and by their own
on the floor in a large circle. A participant
toys.
would then be blindfolded and told to walk
across the ring while the hostess recited:
The ashes from the hearth we raked
And sifted in a ring;
Step forth — your footprints will reveal
What luck the year will bring.
The blindfolded walker now responded:
Go, unguided footsteps, go,
Fortune in your prints to show.
Footprints pointing toward an outside door
foretold ill luck, while the opposite direction
portended marriage or good fortune. The
footprints might also point towards a future
spouse.
Auld Lang Syne— Song with words set by
ROBERT BURNS to an old Scottish folk melody, Illustration of “autopsy,” as seen through a
also known as “The Miller’s Wedding” and back-lit sheet
“The Miller’s Daughter.” Although the song
is most commonly associated with NEW Aztecs see Miccailhuitl and Miccailhui-
YEAR’S Eve celebrations, in Scotland “Auld tontli
 21 Barley

B
Backwards— Doing things in reverse order Banshee— Literally, fairy woman (from the
or backwards is a common theme in Hal- Irish bean and sidhe); often described in Irish
loween FORTUNE-TELLING customs and pro- folklore as a messenger of death. Although
tective charms. For example, while on the the banshee doesn’t figure prominently in
road, wearing one’s coat inside-out was pro- Halloween lore, there are a few fairy tales that
tection against Halloween FAIRIES. seem to mention the banshee in connection
An American custom instructed a girl with Halloween: In “How Thomas Connolly
to walk into a room backwards at MIDNIGHT Met the Banshee,” the man of the title is
on Halloween while looking over her left walking home at dusk during “the first week
shoulder, and she would see her future hus- in November” when he spots an old woman
band. A Pennsylvania divination suggested crouched by a bridge. Upon closer examina-
that one walk out the front door backwards tion he sees not an old woman, but a crea-
on Halloween night and pick THREE blades ture wearing an otherworldly green gown,
of grass. The grass was then wrapped in or- with unnaturally long hair and a corpse-like
ange paper and placed beneath the pillow to pallor. The thing screeches at him, then
ensure that the evening’s DREAMS would come glides under the bridge and disappears.
true (in a variation of this, dust was used in Thomas runs home, and the next day dis-
place of grass). covers that the banshee was heard wailing
around the house of a neighbor who died
Bannatyne, Lesley— Lesley Bannatyne is an early in the morning.
American author of five books on Hallo- Banshees were also popular story sub-
ween, including Halloween: An American jects on Halloween, and were often described
Holiday, An American History (1990), which in stories as being accompanied by a head-
inaugurated contemporary Halloween pop- less coachman.
ular histories and paved the way for the nu- The male equivalent of a banshee was a
merous Halloween histories published since. fershee, although in all the banshee legends
Bannatyne’s other books include A Hal- only female spirits are named.
loween How To: Costumes, Parties, Decora-
tions, and Destinations (2001), A Halloween Barley—In Shetland, a small stack of “bere,”
Reader: Stories, Poems, and Plays from Hal- or barley, was set apart in an annual offering
loweens Past (2004), and Halloween Nation: to “Broonie” (the origin or real meaning of
Behind the Scenes of America’s Fright Night this name is unknown). There was a divina-
(2011), as well as the children’s book Witches’ tion involved with this, in which the fortune-
Night Before Halloween. She has lectured ex- seeker would go blindfolded into the yard
tensively on Halloween, and provided the and walk around the stack THREE times sun-
Halloween articles for the World Book Ency- wise and three times “widdershins” (against
clopedia, The Encyclopedia of Death and the the sun), with arms spread wide; at the last
Human Experience, and Be My Guest: An En- turn one would embrace the shade of the fu-
cyclopedia of Entertaining. She also held (for ture spouse (this ritual was called “Fadomin’
two years) an entry in the Guinness Book of da Skroo”). If necessary, an undedicated
World Records for “Largest Halloween Gath- stack would also suffice (or, in America, a
ering” (which was actually a Halloween gath- haystack would do; at the end of running
ering of WITCHES reading poetry). about it three times, a glimpse over the left
Barm Brack 22

shoulder would offer a peek at one’s future has even been speculation that bats may have
spouse). inadvertently been part of witch sabbats
In “Hallowe’en” by ROBERT BURNS, a throughout the centuries, since they would
young man named Will attempts this FOR- feast on insects drawn to the warmth of fires
TUNE-TELLING custom, but “the stack he fad- lit by the witches as part of their outdoor rev-
dom’d thrice” is actually timber, and he gets els. Depictions of bats, usually in the form
a fright when he mistakes a log for a terrible of cut-out wall hangings, are popular Hal-
old woman. loween decorations, and vintage pieces are
sought-after COLLECTIBLES. Live bats also
Barm Brack— An Irish loaf or CAKE made
provide the decorations for the Halloween
with dried fruit, popular during the Hal-
party in the book Harry Potter and the Sor-
loween season. Quite often the barm brack
cerer’s Stone.
serves as a FORTUNE CAKE. Barm brack is
available commercially, and will often con- Bay-Leaves— Bay-leaves appear in one Hal-
tain tokens including a ring (whoever gets loween FORTUNE-TELLING custom: They were
this in a slice will be married in a year), a rag placed on or under the pillow on Halloween
(spinsterhood), a pea (poverty) and a bean night to spur dreams of one’s future sweet-
(wealth). The cake must be cut and buttered heart.
by a married person, out of sight of those
Bedposts—Even bedposts became objects of
who will be eating it.
FORTUNE-TELLING on Halloween night: Be-
Bats— Traditional Halloween symbol, fore going to bed on the eve, different bed-
mainly in the United States. The connection posts were designated to represent music,
of bats to Halloween may be as simple as the art, literature and business. The first bedpost
fact that bats are nocturnal creatures (see also seen upon awakening denoted one’s future
CATS and OWLS). However, the late-nine- vocation.
teenth-century popularity of bats is due In another custom, LEMONS were
largely to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, in which rubbed on the bedposts to provoke Hallo-
the vampire count transforms several times ween DREAMS of future spouses.
into a gigantic bat; this gothic tale popular-
Beets— Beets were sometimes used in an
ized the notion of the vampire bat (which is
American version of FORTUNE-TELLING cus-
actually found in South America) through-
toms centering on CABBAGES or KALE; they
out Western culture. Bats also have histori-
were pulled on Halloween night, and a round
cal ties to WITCHES: Various parts of bats are
one indicated a happy life.
used in witch spells and formulas, and there
Beggar’s Night—In some areas of the United
States, Beggar’s Night is October 30, the
night before Halloween (and was sometimes
used interchangeably with MISCHIEF NIGHT),
but children would often TRICK OR TREAT on
both nights. However, in some rural areas,
Halloween is disliked because trick or treat is
considered to be begging, so the night of Oc-
tober 31 is referred to instead as Beggar’s
Night.
There have always been those who have
looked down on Halloween as a night for
beggars: In Act II, Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s
Vintage bat wall decoration Two Gentlemen of Verona, the character
 23 Belsnickling

Speed speaks of someone puling “like a beg- providing the local parish bell-ringers with a
gar at Hallowmass.” See also DEVIL’S NIGHT. leg of pork on November 5th; the land, which
was known as “Pork Acre,” was rented out
Begging see Rhyming
by the parish officers, and the proceeds given
Bells— It was once common practice to ring to the bell-ringers.
church bells for all Christian souls on Hal- Some areas considered the November
loween. King Henry VIII (who ruled from 5th ringing of the bells to be the start of the
1509 to 1547) once directed that “the Vigil winter season bell-ringing.
and ringing of bells all the night long upon
Belsnickling—A CHRISTMAS mumming cus-
Allhallow Day at night” was to be abolished;
tom found in areas of German settlement
and Queen Elizabeth (whose monarchy went
throughout North America, its name derives
from 1558 to 1603) likewise ruled “that the
from a German MUMMING tradition known
superfluous ringing of bells, and the super-
as Peltznickel. Similar to numerous mum-
stitious ringing of bells on Allhallowntide
ming and “masked solicitation” Halloween
and at All Souls’ Day, with the two nights be-
rituals (including SOULING and STRAWBOYS),
fore and after, be prohibited.” A 1517
belsnickling may have contributed an im-
Churchwardens’ account of the parish of
portant element to the modern American
Heybridge, near Malden, in Essex, notes pay-
Halloween celebration —TRICK OR TREAT.
ments for repair of the bells “agenste Hal-
One description of belsnickling in West Vir-
lowmasse”; but a history of the parish of
ginia began on Christmas Eve, when a small
Hemingborough notes that a gentleman
group in costumes and masks led by “Old
named Mr. Salvin was fined 40s for ringing
Belsnickle” visited homes in the community,
the bells on the evening of All Hallow-Day
guided by CANDLES placed in windows. A
in 1564. The custom was revived during
knock on the door would be followed by the
Mary’s reign, especially since the ringing of
announcement that “Old Belsnickle” was vis-
bells was thought (like SOULING or lighting a
iting, and the visitors would enter to line up
FIRE) to benefit souls in PURGATORY. Church
before the residents. If anyone could be iden-
bells were also rung on MIDSUMMER’S EVE,
tified through the disguise, they had to per-
WALPURGISNACHT and at other times when
form a “trick,” a small performance of song,
evil spirits were thought to be abroad or
dance, etc. If none in the group could be
powerful.
identified, they were treated to food and
In Brittany, it was once the custom for
drink. As the group moved from one house
a bellman to go about just before
midnight ON ALL SOULS’ DAY,
warning of the coming of ghosts.
A Welsh belief was that on
Halloween, as long as conse-
crated bells rang, WITCHES were
hindered from causing harm.
Bells were also rung to cel-
ebrate GUY FAWKES DAY; in fact,
in some British towns and vil-
lages November 5th came to be
known as “Ringing-day” (the
night of the 4th was sometimes
called “Ringing-night”). In Mid-
dlesex in 1683, half-an-acre of
land was given to the purpose of Vintage postcard showing a Halloween bell
Beltane 24

to another, they were joined by family mem- above doorways on Beltane). In modern
bers from the last home, so the size of the times Beltane is celebrated as MAY DAY; in
group increased as the night wore on. It’s some areas of Europe, the night of April 30th
possible that the phrase “trick or treat” de- is celebrated as WALPURGISNACHT. Beltane is
rived from this custom, spreading out from also one of the eight sabbats celebrated by
West Virginia throughout the country. This practitioners of WICCA.
custom is almost identical to a NEW YEAR’S Ben-Weed— Scottish and Northern Irish
mumming custom from the Yorkshire area name for the ragweed. Irish children who
in England (sans mention of Belsnickle). trod on this plant on Halloween night would
Although the belsnickling custom omits be carried off to Fairyland. It was also
the phrase “trick or treat” when practiced thought that the FAIRIES rode the ben-weed
elsewhere, it takes on other interesting ele- on Halloween night while madly playing
ments: In Nova Scotia, for example, the bel- their fiddles.
snickles served the purpose of both mummer
and bogeyman—part of the performance in- Bible— Bibles were very popular in NEW
volved querying terrified children as to YEAR’S and HOGMANAY FORTUNE-TELLING,
whether they’d been good or not, and re- with the most common custom being to
warding them with a piece of candy if they open the book at random and read the first
replied in the affirmative. Parents used bel- proverb one sees for intimations about the
snickles as a threat to bad behavior, and coming year. However, another form of div-
many children were actually afraid to ven- ination using the Bible was sometimes re-
ture outside after dark around Christmas- ported in nineteenth-century American cel-
time. At the end of each performance, the ebrations: A key is placed inside a Bible,
Nova Scotia belsnickles asked for “a bit of which is then supported precariously, prefer-
brouse,” and were usually given a small CAKE ably on the little fingers of two children. A
or piece of fruit (which they carried with small rhyme is recited along with the letters
them throughout the night, and consumed of the alphabet; when the letter is reached
at a party upon the conclusion of their which is the initial of the future spouse, sup-
rounds). In his 1972 article “Belsnickling in posedly the key will turn and the Bible will
a Nova Scotia Island Community,” Richard fall. A variant states that the key is placed on
Bauman notes: “In recent years, belsnickling the sixteenth verse of the first Chapter of
has died out on the Islands, though the Is- Ruth; a heavy band is then tied around the
landers see an echo of it in Halloween trick- Bible and it is swung slowly while the alpha-
or-treating…” bet is recited. The two letters at which the
Bible stops are the two initials of the future
Beltane— The ancient Celtic festival held on spouse.
May 1, or exactly six months from SAMHAIN Black Cats see CATS.
(November 1). Beltane was one of the two
great festivals celebrated by the CELTS, and Black Vespers— Refers to the custom (espe-
was also an important QUARTER DAY; on this cially practiced in France) of draping
day fertility rituals were enacted, and the churches in black on ALL SOULS’ DAY for the
herds were driven out to pasture for the sum- evening mass; worshippers also usually wear
mer. Beltane was celebrated with many of the black.
practices also found on Samhain, such as Blackberries— A particular Irish and Corn-
BONFIRES, feasting and sacrifices; and, like wall fairy tradition has it that blackberries
Halloween, it was a night when FAIRIES and and sloes can’t be gathered and eaten on NO-
WITCHES were abroad, making mischief (as VEMBER EVE or after for as long as their sea-
at Halloween, ROWAN branches were placed son lasts, since the FAIRIES pass over them on
 25 Bobbing for Apples

November Eve (Halloween) and render them teeth!). It was also sometimes specified that
inedible. A variant suggests that the DEVIL that contestants could not move the apple to
shakes his crutches over them on Halloween the side of the tub or pan, meaning they must
night, although in Sussex blackberries plunge their faces completely into the cold
weren’t eaten after October 10 —MICHAEL- water. Although the apple itself was usually
MAS in the old calendar—when the devil was the prize, a separate reward might also be
thought to have spit on them. In fact, there’s given to whoever could bite the most apples.
some basis to this superstition, since it’s In one Scottish version, the apples are tum-
about this time that night frosts set in, which
render the berries bitter-tasting and shriv-
eled. In some variations, the blackberries are
not to be eaten after Michaelmas (now Sep-
tember 29), since it is said that the devil has
trampled them, spat on them or even uri-
nated on them after that point.
A gambling tradition holds that bad
luck can be changed to good by hiding under
a blackberry bush on Halloween night and
invoking the aid of Satan.
Blackberries also figure in one FORTUNE-
TELLING custom: A man who wished to learn
the identity of his future wife could crawl
under a blackberry bush on Halloween,
where he would see her shadow. In a varia-
tion, a man could crawl into a briar bush that
was rooted on both ends, and call on evil
spirits to grant a request.

Bobbing for Apples (also “ducking for ap-

ples,” “dookin’ for apples,” “Bob-apple”)—
The most popular of all Halloween GAMES.
Although it’s been claimed that bobbing for
apples represents an old DRUID or pagan rite,
there’s virtually no evidence to support this
(although we do know that the CELTS con-
sidered APPLES to be important, possibly even
sacred). The Luttrell Psalter, a fourteenth
century illuminated manuscript, contains
probably the earliest reference to bobbing for
apples, although the game had undoubtedly
been played long before then.
In the classic version of the game, a
large tub (either galvanized metal or wood)
is placed on the floor or the ground and filled
with WATER and apples, then contestants
must kneel by the tub and attempt to retrieve
an apple without using their hands (some Illustration showing bobbing for apples from
versions even deny players the use of their the Luttrell Psalter
Bogie Books 26

bled into the tub and stirred with a wooden dropped into the tub with the apples— in
spoon or rod made of hazel or ash. Some- fact, it might even replace the use of the ap-
times there was a custom regarding placing ples entirely).
the apples into the tub: Each person at the Sometimes bobbing for apples served as
party would choose an apple, and then all a FORTUNE-TELLING game. In the simplest ver-
players marched around the tub in the di- sions of this, the first to successfully retrieve
rection of the sun (or deas-iuil) and threw a stemless apple would be the first to be mar-
their apples in. In situations where partygo- ried, or a happy life was foretold for anyone
ers weren’t interested in getting wet, the who could successfully snatch an apple. In
game might be played by standing over the one version of the game, players marked their
tub and holding a fork in the teeth; the ob- initials on an apple (or even inserted a small
ject was to spear an apple by releasing the note), and marriage was foretold by whose
fork at the right point (an American name apple one could successfully bite. Those who
for this variant was “mumble-ty-apple”). obtained an apple might take their prize to
Sometimes coins of different denominations bed, place the apple under their pillow, and
were inserted into the apples, so that a suc- then have dreams in which their future
cessful bobbing also guaranteed a small spouses were shown to them.
monetary prize (money might also be simply A variation of bobbing for apples was
to bite the apple while it was suspended from
a string overhead (or sometimes scones cov-
ered in treacle or molasses might be used in
place of apples). This variation of the game
was called snap-apple or hanch-apple, and
SNAP-APPLE NIGHT was sometimes used in
place of Halloween (a variant of this suggests
that doughnuts or candy can be used in place
of apples, and that the objective is to eat the
object off the string). Apples might also be
attached to one end of a stick, while flour, a
lighted CANDLE, a treacle bun, a potato or a
bar of soap was attached to the other end;
the stick was spun, and players had to try to
bite the whirling apple (which might even
have a small prize placed within it). In a vari-
ation of this custom, a barrel-hoop was sus-
pended from the ceiling, with apples, can-
dies, CAKES and candle-ends placed around
its perimeter; the hoop was spun, and con-
testants had to try to bite an edible. In an-
other version, peppers and bread might also
be interspersed, and whatever could be bit-
ten first would indicate the flavor of one’s fu-
ture married life.

Bogie Books—Beginning in 1909, Dennison

(a company which specialized in the manu-
facture of paper goods, and which was
Vintage postcard showing bobbing for apples among the earliest companies to feature a
 27 Bon Festival

wide line of Halloween products) produced Bogies (also boggans, bogles, bogans, bog-
the “Bogie Books,” detailed and heavily il- garts)— Malicious spirits found around
lustrated guides on how to use Dennison’s British bogs (hence the name), which often
Halloween products. These booklets typi- take the form of either a demonic ram, a
cally ran 32 pages, and contained tips on dec- ghostly white cow or horse, or a monstrous
orating, COSTUMES, and PARTIES. They were hound with glowing eyes. Bogies probably
produced until 1934, although a few years led to the American idea of the “boogey
were skipped, and they were printed in both man.” In the Highlands of Scotland, Hal-
hardback and paperback. Because of their loween bogies (who could be driven away by
graphics (which were in color in later issues) carrying torches around the homestead) were
and detailed descriptions of early Halloween sometimes called “wirrey-cows.” See also
CELEBRATIONS (and because, like many other SAMHANACH.
early Halloween COLLECTIBLES, they were nor-
mally disposed of at the end of the holiday Bon Festival (also Bon Matsuri, Obon,
each year), they are now among the most Urabon)— Bon Festival is one of the most
sought-after Halloween collectibles; the 1909 important events for Japanese people (along
edition is especially scarce, and may fetch with NEW YEAR’S Day); although descended
over $2,000 on the collectors’ market. Re- from the Chinese festival of YUE LAAN, it is
productions have been available since the also sometimes thought of as the Japanese
early 2000s. Halloween.
The purpose of Bon is to welcome the
return of the ancestors in spirit form; it’s
typically a time when FAMILIES gather to-
gether (which also occurs at New Year’s). In
fact, in The Daughter of the Samurai, Etsu In-
agaki Sugimoto describes it as “a happy time
for all of Japan.” Bon has been celebrated in
Japan since at least A.D. 657 (it was suppos-
edly inaugurated in China in A.D. 538, when
it was called “festival of the spirits”).
The period of Bon is at Moon 7, Days
13–15, or usually from August 13 to 15 (al-
though the date is sometimes July 13 to 15,
especially in America). Most government
offices and companies are closed during this
time, and many Japanese companies provide
their employees with a week-long Obon hol-
iday. In Buddhism the spirits of the dead are
believed to return to their earthly homes on
August 13, stay for three days and then de-
part for heaven again on the night of August
15. The preparations begin a day or so prior
to the actual start of Bon, as houses are
cleaned in anticipation of the spirits’ return,
and new clothes are purchased; butsudan
(Buddhist family altars) are traditionally dec-
Cover of the 1919 edition of Dennison’s Bogie orated with little animal figures made from
Book vegetables, tea is poured and fresh food laid
Bonfire Night 28

on the butsudan for the spirits. “Spirit altars” his mother was reborn into Buddha’s beau-
are set before the butsudan, and a priest may tiful land, where she lived peacefully and
be asked to come and read a sutra. No life is happily. Seeing this, Moggallana danced for
taken on the first day, and gifts are given joy and was joined by the monks.
throughout the festival. Bon is sometimes re- Although Bon is typically celebrated
ferred to as the “Festival of Lanterns” (or with great joy, it is also a time (just as the
“Feast of Lanterns”), because lanterns are Halloween season is in western culture)
lighted in cemeteries, and small FIRES are when horror films are typically released; fea-
sometimes made at doorways to welcome tures by Toei, Daiei and Shintoho featured
ghostly visitors. On the last night of the fes- spectral cats, vengeful female GHOSTS and
tival lighted CANDLES are sent sailing off on haunted swamps.
floating lotus leaves (or shoryobuni, mean-
Bones see Skeletons
ing “boats of the blessed ghosts”); as each lit-
tle “boat” bursts into flames, the spirit con- Bonfire Night (also “Bon-a-fire Night” or
tained in it is supposed to be released to “Bonnie-Fire Night”)—In England, another
return to the heavenly abode. name for GUY FAWKES DAY. In parts of Ire-
As with Halloween, Bon has many re- land, Bonfire Night also once referred to Hal-
gional variations. For example, in Nagasaki, loween. Now, throughout Ireland the name
families that lost a relative during the past generally refers to Eleventh Night, the eve of
year make “spirit boats” with many lanterns the Twelfth of July, a national holiday cele-
to carry the soul to heaven. In the harbor brating the victory of the Protestant William
front at Ohato, hundreds of elaborate boat- III over the Catholic James II at the battle of
like floats pulled by families and friends the Boyne. For Roman Catholics, Bonfire
make a parade through the city, with fire- Night once meant the eve of the Assumption,
crackers lit along the way (a custom bor- August 15, and later referred to the eve of the
rowed from the Chinese residents of Na- anniversary of the imposition of internment
gasaki). A BONFIRE is lit on the slopes of Mt. police, August 8.
Nyogatake, in the shape of the Chinese char- When Bonfire Night referred to Hal-
acter meaning “large.” At Nachi Shrine in loween, boys typically spent the season lead-
Katsura, twelve huge torches are lit by white- ing up to the night collecting material for
robed priests. their BONFIRES; while RHYMING took place in
Possibly the most popular custom at the evenings during the last few weeks prior
Bon is the bon odori, or folk dancing; these to Halloween, the days were given to going
rites are performed to welcome the returning house-to-house collecting material for bon-
ancestors’ souls. The dances are usually per- fires— papers, magazines, garden cuttings,
formed by large groups of people wearing ki- tires, wooden crates, and other items. As the
monos and straw hats; dancers often move material was collected, it had to be protected
in circles around the musicians or around a from marauding rival gangs who would try to
temporary platform set up in a broad, open steal it for their own bonfires; boys built
space. The bon odori (which is supposedly small huts near their store of material, and
joined by the dead as well) are first men- would occasionally spend nights in them to
tioned in Japanese literature about the late oversee their hoards.
fifteenth century, and are based on the Bud- In parts of Canada (especially New-
dhist legend of Moggallana, who wanted to foundland), Bonfire Night is still held on No-
help his mother’s spirit escape from the vember 5, although the Guy Fawkes associa-
realm of the Preta (“world of hungry dev- tion has been largely forgotten. As in the
ils”). He went to the Buddha, who advised Irish version, for weeks prior adolescent boys
him to make offerings to monks. He did, and go house-to-house collecting flammable ma-
 29 Bonfires

terials, although these Canadian cousins sel- a Halloween custom with the CELTS, who lit
dom include fireworks or effigy-burning. bonfires on their two greatest festival days,
They do also hold smaller FAMILY bonfires, BELTANE (May 1) and SAMHAIN (November
usually in yards or on beaches. 1). Celtic lore records the kindling of FIRES at
TLACHTGA each Samhain; all other fires were
Bonfires— Once one of the most popular extinguished and re-lit with embers from the
Halloween celebrations throughout the new fire. Celtic bonfires have also been ex-
British Isles, bonfires are now confined largely plained as tributes to the sun, as protection
to civil CELEBRATIONS or GUY FAWKES NIGHT. against evil spirits, and as beacons to friendly
There is considerable speculation over spirits returning home on Samhain, but any
the meaning of the word “bonfire” itself. The such explanations are largely theories or sup-
earliest known instance of the derivation of positions. Bonfires may also have been used
the word occurred as ban fyre ignis ossium in for animal and human sacrifice by the Celts
the Catholican Anglicum, although some and their priests the DRUIDS (sometimes in-
scholars believe it might be derived from volving construction of a huge “wicker man”
Bane-fire (where Bane is a derivation of Baal, into which the victims were placed). In a
the name of a pagan deity); “boon-fire” pageant presented at Sherbourne in 1905,
(from the idea that neighbors all contribute two early (A.D. 705) British tribesmen who
a “boon”); or “bone-fire” (from the idea that have recently been converted (not very suc-
pagans once threw bones into the fire). The cessfully) to Christianity have this dialogue
likeliest suggestion is that the word probably explaining bonfires:
comes from a Christian celebration, that of THE CHIEFTAIN. Thou knowest, Gurth, the
St. John the Baptist’s birth; he was born in old gods are dead.
mid-summer, and it is believed that the 2ND ATTENDANT. I know we have ceased to
saint’s bones were burnt by the Roman Em- worship them. But I fear them still. For
peror Julian the Apostate in the mid-fourth dead they are not. Now they haunt the
century A.D. A mention from a 1493 ac- woods as evil spirits.
counting of royal expenses notes “the (The others assent)
makyng of the bonefuyr on Middesomer Eve, 1 ST ATTENDANT. Wherefore, O Chieftain,
turn away their anger.
10s.” The original spelling of the word was
THE CHIEFTAIN. Why, kindle a fire, then…
“bone-fire,” with “bonfire”
a relatively recent deriva-
tion.
Bonfires are often built
with kindling collected or
even begged specifically for
that purpose, and collecting
the materials may be an ele-
ment of SOULING or begging.
Bonfires lit in celebration of
ALL SAINTS’ DAY and ALL
SOULS’ DAY were usually lit
on hillsides, but Guy Fawkes
bonfires were often simply
large piles of kindling as-
sembled in the streets of a
town. Tar barrels are lit on Guy Fawkes Day in this 1853 newspaper
Bonfires originated as illustration
Bonfires 30

In fact, this passage probably contains moreand foolishly to leape, by a certaine antient
poetry than truth. More likely, Celt bonfirescustome, we command them from hence-
forth to cease.” It is still a popular custom to
also had a practical side: Not only were taxes
charged for the kindling of the Samhain firesleap over bonfires or dance around them,
on Tlachtga, but the ash was probably used and may date back to a Druid ritual of dri-
as fertilizer in their fields. ving livestock between two fires to ensure
One of the best explanations of the fertility or safety from evil forces. Another
undying fascination with bonfires may be attempt to abolish bonfires was made in A.D.
that given by Thomas Hardy in Chapter 742, when the practice of kindling by “need-
Three of his novel The Return of the Native,fire” (friction) was condemned as a pagan
wherein he describes a Guy Fawkes Night cel-practice.
ebration, with thirty bonfires blazing on hill- Another early look at bonfires is pro-
tops all over one district. Although Hardy vided by traveler Thomas Pennant, who in
suggests that the custom comes from 1772 wrote of the Scottish parish of Maylin,
“Druidical rites and Saxon ceremonies,” he near Pitlochrie: “Hallow Eve is also kept sa-
cred; as soon as it is dark, a person sets fire to
goes on to suggest that “to light a fire is the
a bush of broom fastened round a pole, and,
instinctive and resistant act of man when, at
the winter ingress, the curfew is sounded attended with a crowd, runs about the vil-
throughout Nature. It indicates a sponta- lage. He then flings it down, heaps great
neous, Promethean rebelliousness against thequantity of combustible matters on it, and
makes a great bonfire.”
fiat that this recurrent season shall bring foul
times, cold darkness, misery and death. Black If the Christian third Council was un-
chaos comes, and the fettered gods of the successful in abolishing bonfires, later
earth say, Let there be light.” church officials fared somewhat better when
The Christian third Council of Con- they complained that Halloween bonfires had
stantinople (A.D. 680) tried to abolish bon-become nothing but an excuse for drunken-
fires, and inadvertently provided a look at ness and recklessness— by 1860 Halloween
early bonfire customs: “Those fires that kin- bonfires in Scotland, which were once an
dled … over which also they use ridiculouslyadult activity, were set exclusively by boys, a
custom which largely pre-
vails to this day. Bonfires
are not without specific
dangers as well: Yarmouth
in Great Britain, for exam-
ple, suspended bonfires in
1893 after one toppled
down on a spectator,
killing him,
There are numerous
different fire customs
recorded throughout the
British Isles. They may in-
volve the belief that fire is a
protective force: For ex-
ample, in many areas of
Scotland children carried
Children prepare for a bonfire (photograph by Sir Benjamin blazing torches and, after
Stone) sunset on Halloween, ran
 31 Bonfires

around the boundaries of their land to pro- One peculiar bonfire-like custom was
tect them from FAIRIES and other malicious practiced in a Lancashire field near Poulton
supernatural forces, and to ensure fertility called (appropriately) PURGATORY FIELD. On
(it was crucial that the boys ran in the direc- Halloween, men assembled there in a circle
tion of the sun, or deas-iuil, not “widder- and threw forkfuls of burning straw into the
shins” or tuath-iuil). Special attention was air, while onlookers fell to their knees and
given to huts or houses wherein resided prayed for the souls of the departed in Pur-
mothers and children young enough to be gatory. Farmers who participated also be-
snatched by fairies. lieved that the procedure was useful against
One peculiar bonfire custom occurs in the weed darnel.
Hatherleigh, Devon, Great Britain, shortly The SAMHNAG was a bonfire built on
after Halloween (actually on the night before Halloween by FAMILIES, usually on the high-
the first Wednesday after Guy Fawkes Day). est point on or near their land. Part of the
Two sledges carrying a total of six tar bar- samhnag custom involved marking stones
rels are dragged to the highest point in town, and throwing them into the fire; the next
and at dawn the first sledge is set afire and morning the ashes were examined carefully,
dragged around the streets. At 8:30 that eve- since a missing stone indicated the death of
ning the second sledge is set alight and also its owner within the year.
paraded through town before ending in a In Lancashire Halloween fires were
bonfire. Similar practices are recorded at the sometimes called either Beltains or Teanlas
Scottish celebration of HOGMANAY: “Burn- (or TINDLES), and were considered to be
ing the clavie” involved carrying a torch (the largely a Christian practice.
“clavie” was the wood for the torch) and In Duffield, Derbyshire, a bonfire unre-
burning a tar barrel. lated to Halloween or Guy Fawkes was held
On the Isle of Wight, after the Novem- each year during the first week in November.
ber 5th bonfires were lit, male spectators Every night during the first week of the month,
hurled fire-balls into them; the fire-balls all the young men of the area yoked themselves
were made of finely-packed oakum, and were to carts, and, proceeded by horns, collected
held in wire casings with handles. trees and other wood along the lanes; on the
In the parish of Logierait in Scotland, first Monday of November, they built a great
faggots of heath and broom flax were carried bonfire with the collected wood. The “wakes of
aflame on poles by men who ran round the Duffield” finished on that Monday night with
village. In the northeast of Scotland boys the young men engaging in a “squirrel hunt,”
went house-to-house and begged a PEAT in which they all took pots, pans, and other
from each householder, saying “Ge’s a peat t’ NOISEMAKERS, went to Kedleston Park, and
burn the witches.” When the fire was going, created a din with the intention of frighten-
each boy in turn would lie down as near to ing squirrels into falling from the trees.
the fire as possible, and others ran through In America (mainly on the east coast),
the smoke and jumped over him. At the end Halloween bonfires serve chiefly to entertain
of the fire, the boys scattered the ASHES ritu- children, who often roast hot dogs or marsh-
ally by kicking first with the right foot and mallows over them. In France, Halloween
then with the left; a GAME was to see who bonfires were often used to roast CHESTNUTS.
could scatter the most. In Aberdeenshire, as In a Welsh custom, NUTS thrown onto a
soon as the last spark died out the boys would bonfire predict the future: If the flames dance
cry “The devil take the hindmost!” and run. about when the nuts are thrown in, the com-
In Wales, when the last spark of a Halloween ing year will be full of fun and excitement;
bonfire went out, everyone ran shouting, but if the flames don’t change, the coming
“The cropped black sow seize the hindmost!” year will be dull.
Bonnach Samhuinn 32

Bonfires are also recorded in some cel- Boxty on the griddle,

ebrations of the Japanese BON FESTIVAL. Boxty in the pan,
If you don’t eat Boxty,
Bonnach Samhuinn— Hallowe’en bannock You’ll never get a man.
or cake. A traditional Scottish Hallowe’en
FOOD, made with the meal of the new CORN
Bradbury, Ray (1920– )— American author
and washed over with a custard made with best known for the classic science fiction
eggs, cream and honey, then toasted before novels Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and The Mart-
the embers. ian Chronicles (1950); Bradbury has also
written more extensively about Halloween
Boxty—Another traditional Irish Halloween than any other major literary figure. His 1972
FOOD, boxty is a BREAD made of potatoes and
novel The Halloween Tree is a fictionalized
flour. It is also sometimes called Boxty-in- account of the history of Halloween, as the
the-Pan, Boxty-on-the-griddle or simply mysterious Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud
boxty pancakes. Boxty was sometimes first leads a group of small boys through the
served on Halloween and then eaten EGYPTIAN FEAST OF THE DEAD, SAMHAIN, and
throughout the following three months, or the Mexican DAYS OF THE DEAD. His
it might have been served only on Halloween renowned 1962 dark fantasy Something
and Boxing Day. In this stanza from an 1898 Wicked This Way Comes, about a mysterious
poem, B. M. Teggart sets up boxty as a pop- carnival which preys on the dreams of the
ular Halloween food with the Irish poor: residents of a small town, makes ingenious
Where there are neither sweets nor cakes use of the holiday by setting its story in the
Nor mutton, fat or lean, week before Halloween, suggesting that on
In a big pot the mother makes this “strange wild dark long year, Halloween
Boxty, at Halloween. came early.” In his novel From the Dust Re-
One amusing traditional folk rhyme about turned (2001), Bradbury collects fifty years
boxty runs: of short stories involving “the October Peo-
ple” (or the Elliott family)
into one novel, about a
magical clan of ghosts,
winged men and mind-
readers who reunite at
Halloween (in the novel’s
afterword, Bradbury men-
tions the autobiographical
nature of the family, which
resides in his home state of
Illinois). Bradbury’s 1964
short story, “Heavy-Set,”
takes a non-supernatural
look at the holiday, with a
melancholy depiction of an
obsessed bodybuilder who
turns to his mother after a
disappointing Halloween
party. In the most fright-
Ray Bradbury (left) and Jonathan Pryce as “Mr. Dark” on the ening of his Halloween
set of the film version of Bradbury’s Something Wicked This ventures, the 1948 short
Way Comes. story, “The October
 33 Broom

Game,” (from the collection Long After Mid- silently) while the person thought of a wish;
night), Bradbury uses the fall season as a if the dreams that night were pleasant, the
metaphor for a dying marriage, and depicts wish would soon come true.
a particularly gruesome version of the classic Bread also had some protective powers:
Halloween game “AUTOPSY.” That same year, A safeguard for travelers on Halloween was
Bradbury wrote “The Candy Skull,” a short to carry a piece of bread crossed with SALT
story set in Mexico during Days of the Dead. in a pocket. See also BOXTY.
Bradbury has also written poetry about Hal-
Briar Thorn— The major component in a
loween.
FORTUNE-TELLING custom: If a girl found a
Both Something Wicked This Way
branch of briar thorn which had bent over
Comes and The Halloween Tree have been
and grown into the ground to form a loop, on
adapted to film (both featuring screenplays
Halloween she might creep through the loop
by Bradbury), the former as a theatrical fea-
THREE times late in the evening in the DEVIL’s
ture in 1983, directed by Jack Clayton and
name, then cut the briar and put it under her
starring Jason Robards and Jonathan Pryce,
pillow, all silently; she would then dream of
and the latter as an animated television spe-
her future husband.
cial in 1993. In November 2000, Bradbury
was awarded the National Book Foundation Brighde— In a Scottish belief, Brighde was
Medal for Distinguished Contribution to a goddess in the form of a youthful maiden
American Letters. who ruled over the warmer half of the year
from BELTANE to SAMHAIN; the winter
Bread— The baking of special breads and months were presided over by the CAILLEACH,
CAKES is one of the oldest Halloween tradi- or old woman.
tions, and may date back to the CELTS, who
Broom—Traditional instrument of WITCHES.
sometimes chose victims for sacrifices by
Also, in parts of Europe it is considered bad
marking one piece of bread or cake in char-
luck to sweep on Halloween, because of the
coal. Special cakes and breads are involved
souls seeking sanctuary in the home. In Ire-
in many different customs surrounding ALL
land, one particular FORTUNE-TELLING cus-
SAINTS’ DAY, ALL SOULS’ DAY, and DAYS OF
tom had a young girl with a mouthful of
THE DEAD; however, in some areas of Europe
WATER riding a broomstick to her NEIGHBORS’
it is supposedly bad luck to bake bread on
door, where she would listen at the keyhole
Halloween, and will endanger all who eat it.
to hear the name of her husband-to-be. In
One of the earliest men-
tions of Halloween includes a
reference to bread, as this line
found in the Festyvall from 1511
indicates: “We rede in olde tyme
good people wolde on All
halowen daye bake brade and
dele it for all crysten soules.”
Bread (as compared to
cake) figures in at least one FOR-
TUNE-TELLING custom: Someone
desiring to engage in WISHING
would have a family member
bring him a piece of dry bread at
bedtime on Halloween. The
bread was eaten slowly (and Early postcard showing a moon-face witch and her broom
Brownies 34

another custom, girls rode wooden RAKES of holly twigs are arranged in a circle, pushed
round the CORN stacks at MIDNIGHT on Hal- into the ground and tied together at the top.
loween. A live turf representing the HEARTH is placed
The association of witches and broom- in the center of this “house,” and the cou-
sticks seems to have been an invention on pled twigs are named after the boys and girls
the part of the Christian witch-hunters, and present; whichever pair catches fire first in-
may have represented a desire to persecute dicates which boy and girl will first be wed-
women (by associating witches with perhaps ded.
the most common household tool) in par-
ticular. “Burning the Reekie Mehr”— A Scottish
Halloween PRANKING custom in which a CAB-
Brownies— Traditional brownies are house BAGE or KALE stalk is scooped out and filled
FAIRIES, who will serve an individual house with tow (the “mehr”). One end is lit and
by performing small household chores, and placed up against the keyhole on a door, then
who are normally rewarded with small of- blowing on the other end will send plumes of
ferings of food (although in most cases it’s smoke into the house. Pranksters occasion-
also thought that a brownie will vanish if ally followed this up with using turf to plug
given a gift of clothing). Although some up the chimney, creating a house full of
brownies could occasionally become mis- smoke.
chievous and might even pinch or harass lazy
human servants, they were on the whole use- “Burning the Witch”— A BONFIRE custom,
ful and harmless. In Scotland, brownies sup- in which a witch is burned in effigy on Hal-
posedly lived in the hollows of trees, in caves, loween. Perhaps the most famous recorded
and in the recesses of ruined castles. The example is a celebration held at Balmoral
popular ballad “Aiken Drum” describes a during the reign of Queen Victoria. A huge
brownie: bonfire was kindled in front of the castle, and
as the bonfire gained in intensity it was ap-
I lived in a lan’ where we saw nae sky,
I dwalt in a spot where a burn rins na by; proached by clansmen in Highland dress.
But I’se dwall now wi’ you if ye like to try — The clansmen marched around a cart that
Hae ye wark for Aiken Drum? held the effigy of a horrid old witch called
the Shandy Dann (actually a bastardized
This 1936 RECITATION by Elizabeth F. Guptill form of “Shan-dre-dan,” the type of trolley
is entitled, appropriately, “A Brownie,” and or cart). At a dozen yards or so from the
was designed to be presented as part of a blaze, a pronouncement on the witch’s guilt
school PAGEANT (by a “tiny boy wearing a was made, and then both trolley and effigy
brownie suit, and carrying a JACK-O’- were hurled into the fire. The entire perfor-
LANTERN”):
mance was said to have been greatly enjoyed
A Halloween brownie am I, by the queen herself.
I like to play tricks on the sly.
I’m happy and jolly, Burns, Robert (1759–1796)— Scottish poet
And brimful of folly. most famed for his contribution to a song
To play pranks on you I shall try. celebrating another holiday (the lyrics to
My old jack-o’-lantern and I “AULD LANG SYNE,” the NEW YEAR’S Eve fa-
Will come snooping around by-and-by. vorite), but also author of perhaps the best
If you hear elfin laughter, description of a rustic, pre-industrial Hal-
See lights scurrying after, loween celebration. His 28-stanza poem
You’ll know that the brownies are nigh.
“Hallowe’en,” written in 1785 documents the
“Building the House”—An Irish Halloween fortune-telling traditions and party customs
FORTUNE-TELLING custom in which 12 pairs of eighteenth-century Scottish villagers; it
 35 Burns, Robert

tells the sometimes amusing, sometimes

bawdy, and sometimes frightening stories of
a group of young people gathered together
for the evening. Burns grew up on a farm
himself (his father was a largely-unsuccess-
ful farmer, and his brother, Gilbert, carried
on the family tradition; Burns himself
worked as a farmer and an excise-man), and
so Burns had probably experienced such a
Halloween gathering. His poem begins with
a salute to the supernatural side of the holi-
day:
Upon that night, when fairies light
Then Burns moves on to the heart of the
poem in the second stanza:
Some merry, friendly, countra folks,
Together did convene,
To burn their nits, an’ pou their stocks,
An’ haud their Hallowe’en
Over the next two dozen stanzas, Burns
describes such FORTUNE-TELLING customs as
pulling the KALE, the three LUGGIE BOWLS, Robert Burns
burning NUTS, winnowing CORN and sowing
of “Tam O’Shanter,” an incorrigible drunk
HEMP SEED. His fortune seekers usually arrive
who sets off late from the tavern one night
at rather down-to-earth answers; for exam-
and stumbles on “warlocks and witches in a
ple, “fechtin Jamie Fleck”— the skeptic who
dance.” In his drunken state, Tam O’Shanter
is dared to try the hemp seed test — is scared
nearly joins in the mad revelries, but is saved
half out of his wits by a pig. When Uncle
by his horse Maggie, who narrowly escapes
John gets the empty luggie bowl THREE times
the pursuing fiends, losing her tail to them
in a row, he hurls the bowls into the fire. And
as she leaps over a brook (demonic creatures
young Leezie heads out to dip her sleeve in
and their servants can’t cross running water).
WATER “where three lairds lands met at a
Burns also mentions a classic Hal-
burn,” but is so frightened by the lowing of
loween divination involving WATER in the
a renegade cow that she plunges right into song “Tam Glen”:
the stream.
In the last stanza, Burns describes the The last Halloween I was waukin
rest of the evening: My droukit sark-sleeve, as ye kin;
His likeness cam up the house staukin,
Wi’ merry sangs, an’ friendly cracks,
And the very grey breeks o’ Tam Glen!
I wat they dinna weary ;
An’ unco tales, an’ funnie jokes, The growing popularity of the work of
Their sports were cheap an cheery
Burns in the American West of the late 18th-
Finally they finish with a dish of SOWENS and and early 19th-century (many American
“a social glas o’ strunt” (liquor), and the cities actually celebrated Burns’s birthday on
party — and poem —come to an end. January 25) may have been one of the fac-
Burns also penned, in what he consid- tors that led to Halloween’s increasing pop-
ered to be his best work, the supernatural tale ularity in that area during that time.
Burton, Tim 36

Burton, Tim (1958– ) American filmmaker reconsidered and Burton, deciding he didn’t
whose films as a director included Pee-Wee’s have enough experience in stop-motion an-
Big Adventure (1985), Batman (1989), and imation, passed the directorial reins to film-
Edward Scissorhands (1990), before 1993’s maker Henry Selick. The film tells the story
The Nightmare Before Christmas (which he of Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King of Hal-
co-wrote and produced). The Nightmare Be- loween Town, who stumbles on a magical
fore Christmas has become probably the most doorway into the realm of Christmas and,
beloved Halloween film ever produced, with bored with Halloween, kidnaps Santa Claus
its unique mix of traditional Halloween and inadvertently wreaks havoc by posing as
iconography (PUMPKINS, GHOSTS, WITCHES, the Jolly Old Elf on Christmas night. Al-
etc.) and CHRISTMAS; in 2006, it was re-re- though Nightmare was only moderately suc-
leased to theaters in 3D. Burton first created cessful in the U.S. (where it became a cult fa-
Nightmare as a poem while he was working vorite), the film became very popular in
as a Disney animator in the early 1980s. Dis- Japan. Its overseas success produced a whole
ney initially passed on the idea (although it line of COLLECTIBLES long after the movie’s
eventually produced the film in 1993), but original American theatrical release (which
Burton never gave up on the project, noting, produced surprisingly little merchandise),
“Nightmare Before Christmas is deeper in my and re-energized Halloween as a collectible
heart than any other film.” Eventually Disney holiday. In 2001, the film also provided the
basis for a seasonal makeover of the popular
Disneyland attraction the Haunted Mansion;
“Haunted Mansion Holiday,” which features
such popular Nightmare characters as Jack
Skellington, Sally, and Zero, proved so pop-
ular that it has now become a regular feature,
running each year from late September to
early January.
Burton explored Halloween again in his
1999 version of the WASHINGTON IRVING clas-
sic Sleepy Hollow, which transformed Icha-
bod Crane from a gangly schoolteacher to a
brilliant young inspector (Johnny Depp), in-
vestigating the mysteries of Sleepy Hollow.
Christopher Walken appeared as the Hess-
ian Horseman, who was depicted here with
a head more often than not. The film’s art
direction emphasized its Halloween aspects,
with rich vistas of pumpkin fields, gothic vil-
lages and haunted forests.
Buttons— In this FORTUNE-TELLING custom,
by counting the buttons on the coat of the
first person met on Halloween night (while
reciting a counting charm), one could de-
termine the true intentions of a suitor.
Glow-in-the-dark Jack Skellington toy from Bwyd Cennad Y Meirw (Welsh)—FOOD left
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christ- outside on Halloween to feed the souls of the
mas dead.
 37 Cabbages

C
Cabbage Night— Name sometimes applied
(mainly in eastern parts of the United States)
to the night before Halloween, when PRANK-
ING (such as pulling up and throwing CAB-
BAGES ) was practiced. In Halifax, Nova
Scotia, and surrounding areas, the name
was known as “Cabbage-Stump Night,” after
the habit of throwing cabbage stumps at
doors.
Cabbages (see also KALE)— Cabbage is one
of the most important FOOD items associated
with Halloween, especially in Scotland. This
folk rhyme even seems to make cabbage al-
most divine (“Haly” is an abbreviated form
of “Hail Mary”) in regards to Halloween:
Haly on a cabbage stalk, and haly on a bean,
Haly on a cabbage stalk, to-morrow’s Hal-
lowe’en.
In Scottish lore, pulling cabbages on
Halloween is a method of FORTUNE-TELLING:
If the cabbage head is white, a future mate
will be older than the puller; if the head is
green, the mate will be younger; if there’s a
great deal of dirt clinging to the head, your
luck will be likewise great; if the cabbage
heart tastes bitter, you’ll have a difficult life.
The cabbage is then hung over a doorway, Ellen Clapsaddle postcard showing cabbages
and the first man to enter will bear the name used in Halloween fortune-telling
of the girl’s future husband (or, in an Amer-
ican version, the first man to enter and be hit then pulled and their stalks examined. A tra-
on the head by the falling cabbage would bear ditional rhyme explains:
the name). In a slight variation, men would
One, two, three, and up to seven;
pull a cabbage and examine the shape of the If all are white, all go to heaven;
stalk to determine the shape of their future If one is black as Murtagh’s evil,
wife (long and thin or short and stout, for He’ll soon be screechin’ wi’ the devil.
example). In another version, a clean, light
cabbage promised heaven, while a cabbage This divination is captured in the story
darkened by frost foretold hell. of “Red Mike,” who was born on Halloween
One method involved seven cabbages, Eve. When the cabbage test was tried at a
which were chosen and named for seven party where Mike was present, six stalks were
members of the party. The cabbages were found to be white, but Mike’s was dark,
Cake 38

wormy and foul-smelling. When Mike Cailleach— Means “old woman,” and also
cursed at the company, a priest showed him refers to the last sheaf of CORN at the end of
a crucifix, and he fled, finally vanishing HARVEST; like the CORN DOLLY, this sheaf was
through a bog into the ground. sometimes hung in the house to provide
In Massachusetts, if a girl steals a cab- good luck (although occasionally kisses were
bage she will see her future husband as she stolen beneath the cailleach, making it sim-
pulls it up, or meet him on her way home (if ilar to the use of MISTLETOE at CHRISTMAS).
these steps fail she must put the cabbage up In Scottish and Irish folklore, the cailleach
over her door and see whom it falls on); a was often an ancient woman or hag gifted
variant of this belief stated that the young with magic (similar to the WITCH or the BAN-
lady must pass through a graveyard to ob- SHEE), and whose assistance was sometimes
tain the cabbage. Another Massachusetts sought in occult situations; the Cailleach
custom instructed a girl to walk outside was also sometimes referred to as a seasonal
BACKWARDs on Halloween at MIDNIGHT, in deity who provided over the winter months
her night-dress, and pull a cabbage from the between SAMHAIN and BELTANE (while
garden; she would then see her future hus- BRIGHDE ruled the summer half of the year).
band over her shoulder. In some areas, the word is believed to have
Cabbage was also popular in PRANKING. referred to a fairy woman dressed in red or
Boys might push the pith from the stalk, fill green.
the cavity with tow which they set on fire,
Cake— Cakes and bread were probably first
and then blow yard-long jets of flame
associated with Halloween because of the
through keyholes (a practice known as
holiday’s proximity to HARVEST. The 1580
“BURNING THE REEKIE MEHR”). One of the
edition of Five Hundred Points of Good Hus-
more amusing and inventive Halloween
bandry notes the importance of baking cakes
pranks involved tying strings to the cabbages
at the end of harvest:
in a farmer’s field, then making the cabbages
apparently “walk” right out from under the Wife, some time this weeke, if the wether
astonished farmer’s gaze. Unharvested cab- hold cleere,
bages also became missiles hurled against An end of wheat-sowing we make for this
doors on Halloween night. yeare.
Remember you, therefore, though I do it not,
In Scotland, where it was believed by
The seed-cake, the Pasties, and Furmentie-pot.
small children that new babies came from
the roots of the cabbage-stalk, it was a pop- Not only was a Halloween cake once the
ular custom to pile the stalks against doors centerpiece of Halloween PARTIES, but cakes
and windows on Halloween night in hopes were also used as a form of FORTUNE-TELLING.
that visiting FAIRIES would set free one more The most common cake custom involved
baby soul from the stalks to bless the house- baking small trinkets into a “FORTUNE CAKE”
hold during the coming year. (each trinket was wrapped in oiled paper);
In Wales, LEEKS were often used in place one’s future was foretold depending on what-
of cabbage. ever was found in one’s slice of cake. For ex-
Cabbage broth was also a popular Scot- ample, a ring indicated a happy marriage; a
tish Halloween dish, and cabbage is a part of wheel foretold travel; a dime, wealth; a key,
the popular Halloween food COLCANNON. In good luck in romance; a rag, poverty; a wish-
Armagh, Halloween cabbage was fed to a po- bone, a wish to come true; and a thimble in-
tential mate; it was said that “the ceremony dicated spinsterhood (or the ability of a
was as good as arranged” if the desired per- woman to earn her own living). Less popu-
son could be persuaded to take a meal with lar were the use of a chip of wood (for a
cabbage as part of it. COFFIN), indicating who would die first; and
 39 Candles

a sloe, foretelling who would live the longest one night. In Chichester, shops on All Saints
(because the FAIRIES blight the sloes in the were full of small iced cakes, the white frost-
hedges come Halloween, so a sloe in the cake ing of which was thought to represent the
will be the last of the year). A small china doll white robes of the saints in heaven.
would indicate who would have children;
Cake Night— Another name for Halloween
and a NUT would indicate marriage to a
in parts of Britain (specifically Ripon, York-
widow or widower (unless the kernel was
shire) where it was a popular custom to bake
shriveled, in which case the finder was des-
a CAKE for each member of the family on this
tined for spinsterhood). Tokens are still
night.
baked into commercially available BARM
BRACK cakes in Ireland (whereas in America Calan-Gaeaf— Welsh term for Halloween
ice cream — with tokens inserted — has re- night; it literally refers to the Calends of
placed cake at some parties). Winter, which begins on November 1.
One of the most curious methods of
Calcannon Night— Writing in his Diary
cake divination was the “DUMB CAKE,” which
from 1828, Humphrey O’Sullivan mentions
typically involved a number of unmarried
that Halloween was sometimes called “Cal-
young women (sometimes the number is
cannon Night,” after the eating of COLCAN-
specified as seven) who mixed a “dumb cake”
NON on the day.
together in silence (if any spoke, she would
be last to wed). When the stiff, plain dough Candles— Candles are one of the few con-
was placed in a pan, each girl took a new pin stants in all versions of Halloween, at all
and pricked the initials of her sweetheart in times and all places; even in twenty-first cen-
the dough. Silence continued while the tury America, no house is complete at Hal-
dough baked for 10 minutes, then those loween without the candle guttering inside
whose letters were still plain would suppos- the PUMPKIN or the luminaria near the front
edly marry before the year ended. door. The importance of candles at
SALT cakes were also popular in divina- Halloween certainly has something to do
tion. In an American custom, a girl would with the holiday’s earliest incarnation as the
eat a salt cake and go to bed BACKWARDS onset of winter; nights were longer and
without speaking. If she dreamt of her fu- colder, and evil forces were abroad. The glow
ture husband bringing her a cup of WATER in of a candle provided warmth, light and pro-
a silver or gold goblet, it indicated wealth, tection.
while a tin goblet foretold poverty. Should In some parts of England Halloween
she be foolish enough to help herself to a was once celebrated with a Candle Parade (in
drink, she would never be married; and if Lancashire it was known as “LEET THE
the vessel out of which she drank was a WITCHES ,” “lating the witches” or simply
gourd, she would be a pauper. “lighting the witches”). It was believed that on
Cake has also been invested with the Halloween night WITCHES gathered to do evil
power to save souls on Halloween. SOUL deeds and if lighted candles were carried
CAKES were given to beggars in exchange for about between the hours of 11 and MIDNIGHT
their prayers for the dead, and in Belgium, the witches’ power would be broken. Can-
one custom involves eating cakes on All dles were kept burning in the stable all night
Souls’ Eve in the belief that another soul is to protect the livestock from evil forces. If
saved from suffering in PURGATORY for each one’s candle went out (or was blown out by
cake eaten. The residents of Hirt (St. Kilda) witches) during that time it augured evil for
celebrated the Festival of All Saints with a the carrier. One Halloween custom involved
CAVALCADE and large cake in the form of a placing a lighted candle on the table during
triangle that must be completely eaten in that the evening’s meal (typically CHAMP or COL-
Candles 40

CANNON), and if the candle fell it foretold the women made candles that were lighted only
death of someone in the house. on Halloween, before which they prayed for
Candles have also been used at Hal- departed souls.
loween in remembrance of the dead. Nearly Candles have been used in a variety of
every major commemoration of the dead, FORTUNE-TELLING customs. Some sound like
from the Japanese BON FESTIVAL to the Mex- miniature BONFIRE rituals: Twelve candles
ican DAYS OF THE DEAD to the French TOUS- were placed in a row, and each was named
SAINT, involves burning candles for the dead, for a month of the year. An unmarried
often at the graveside. In Britain, a popular woman would leap over the candles, and if
All Souls’ Eve custom was to light a candle her jump caused any to blow out, that would
for each deceased relative and place it in the be the month in which she would be married;
windows of the rooms in which they had if none was extinguished, she was destined
died. Candles were also placed in windows for a life of “single blessedness.” In a variation,
in Ireland (sometimes specified as THREE can- a jump over a single candle determined
dles) to light the way for wandering souls on whether the jumper would have a trouble-free
Halloween or on All Souls’ Eve. A lighted year (the flame was undisturbed) or one of woe
candle should be placed on Halloween in any (the candle was knocked over in the attempt).
window that faces a GRAVEYARD. In Ireland, Many divination customs centered on
blowing out candle flames. The method
might involve just one large tallow candle in
the center of a table, from which unmarried
women stood at a distance of three paces and
tried three times to blow out the candle; the
number of tries it took to extinguish the
flame would reveal the qualities of the future
husband (one indicated a rich man, two a
man of rank, three a workman, and to not
blow out the candle at all indicated no mar-
riage). Or a candle divination might involve
many candles: Seven candles were lit on a
table, and the one seeking to know his fu-
ture was blindfolded, then spun about three
times and told to blow out the candles three
times. The number of candles blown out
foretold how many years would pass before
the fortune-seeker was wed. If all seven were
extinguished, it would be in the same year; if
none was extinguished, the seeker would re-
main unmarried (although, curiously enough,
there is a variant version of this custom in
which the futures foretold are exactly re-
versed). If twelve candles were used, the can-
dle with the extinguished flame would rep-
resent the month in which marriage would
occur. A slightly different version of this cus-
This vintage postcard by Ellen Clapsaddle tom specified that the blindfolded player was
superbly illustrates the importance of candles led in taking six steps away from three can-
on Halloween. dles, then six steps in return; if the first can-
 41 Candy

dle was blown out, the player would marry ried a candle in one hand and a MIRROR in
within a year, if the second, two years, the the other while walking BACKWARD down the
third, three years, and if no candles were cellar stairs. Providing the seeker survived
blown out they would remain unmarried. In this, the mirror would reveal the seeker’s fu-
another method, a candle flame is blown out ture beloved. In a variation, a girl stood with
through a funnel of paper; if the participant a candle before a mirror on Halloween at
is successful on the first try, he or she will midnight, and she would see the face of her
marry for love; if on the second attempt, for husband; if no husband appeared by the
beauty; if on the third, for money; and if not stroke of 12, then she would see the DEVIL.
by then, the marriage will be unhappy. One Or, in lieu of melted LEAD, candle wax might
American custom involved different colors be dropped into a goblet of water to read the
of candles, all ranged along a table. Those in- signs formed there.
terested in knowing about their future One fairly recent custom suggests plac-
spouses blew toward the candles three times. ing a lighted candle in the sink on Halloween,
The candles they succeeded in blowing out then holding a THREAD over the flame while
would indicate the qualities of their future counting slowly. The number counted be-
spouse (i.e., white denoted a mate with a fore the thread burns in two denotes the
“fine reputation,” pink a handsome husband, number of years before you will marry.
etc.). A slight variation on this custom noted Candles have also been involved in
that the number of puffs taken to blow out a some Halloween begging traditions. Not only
candle foretold the number of years before are they traditionally used to light JACK-O’-
marriage; the colors suggested here included LANTERNS, but they have even been the ob-
white (delight), red (well-fed), green (jeal- ject of at least one begging custom: In Lan-
ousy) and yellow (good marriage). cashire in the early nineteenth century,
One of the oddest (and most macabre) candles were begged house-to-house, rather
forms of divination by candle combines can- than SOUL CAKES or other forms of FOOD and
dles and CHURCHES: First, a clod of earth was drink.
obtained from a churchyard, and set up in Although not exactly employing can-
the home with 12 candles in it, named for 12 dles, a British storytelling game common at
members of the Halloween party. Their fates Halloween should be mentioned here: A
were learned by how steadily the candles bundle of glowing twigs from the fire was
burned, and the first candle to be extin- passed from hand to hand, and each person
guished marked the first guest to die. present selected one and then recited an in-
Candles were combined with other Hal- stallment of a tale until his stick burned to
loween methods of divination, such as one ashes. Sometimes CABBAGE stalks from div-
involving WATER, explained by this anony- ination games practiced earlier that evening
mous 1937 poem called “The FIRE O’ LOVE”: were used in place of the twigs.
Take a tub of water, light a candle end,
For about the last half-century figural
On a flat cork place it, then it floating send. candles have been popular Halloween deco-
Write your names on paper, twist the slips up rating items, and vintage candles are now
tight, sought-after COLLECTIBLES, especially those
Toss them to the water — many will ignite. made by Gurley, which usually show witches,
Those whose names float onward, never, pumpkins, GHOSTS or black CATS.
never wed.
Thus an eighteenth century old tradition Candy— Candy first became popular at 19th
said.
century VICTORIAN PARTIES, when “taffy
In another custom, the Halloween for- pulling” was a typical activity for youngsters.
tune-seeker ate a spoonful of SALT, then car- In fact, a 1908 Good Housekeeping article
Candy Corn 42

even suggests that taffy pulling took on a

specific character at Halloween parties:
“…taffy when cold was coiled and wound
into all sorts and varieties of mysterious ini-
tials and symbols.” Paper candy containers
were among the most popular and earliest
Halloween retail products, and were some-
times also crafted by hand, producing Hal-
loween FOLK ARTS. Later on, candy contain-
ers were manufactured in plastic, sometimes
doubled as TOYS, and are now among the
most sought-after Halloween COLLECTIBLES.
With the introduction of TRICK OR
TREAT, traditional Halloween foods such as
APPLES , NUTS and homemade CAKES were
largely replaced by manufactured and Candy corn
wrapped candies (which were easier for
adults to dole out, since they required no Candy corn has become so popular that
preparations, and were also preferred by chil- its distinctive shape (a cone) and colors
dren). Probably the first major candy man- (white, yellow and orange) have been recre-
ufacturer was Brachs Candy Company, or E. ated in Halloween CANDLES and other mem-
J. Brachs Corp.; Emil J. Brach opened his first orabilia, and has even had its own day de-
candy store in 1904, and by the 1920s he and clared: National Candy Corn Day is celebrated
his two sons were making CANDY CORN by one day prior to Halloween, on October 30.
hand. Prior to candy corn, the most popular
Carnival— Largely European name for the
candies were small B-B-sized pellets.
day preceding Lent, which is often filled with
Halloween is the number three holiday
PARTIES, COSTUMES and CELEBRATIONS. In the
for candy sales (behind Valentine’s Day and
United States Carnival is known as MARDI
Easter, but ahead of CHRISTMAS); in fact, it is
GRAS.
estimated that one-quarter of all supermar-
ket candy sales occur between September 15 Carnivals—This popular form of Halloween
and November 10. According to the Ameri- entertainment may have originally devel-
can Express Retail Index on Halloween oped as an institutionalized alternative to the
spending (in 2000), 77 percent favored some destructive PRANKING of the 1920s and 1930s.
form of chocolate. The survey noted that the Halloween carnivals are usually held on
most popular candy for Halloween was school grounds (where they help raise money
Snickers (35%), followed by Hershey’s (21%), for the school), and typically include amuse-
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (13%), Three ment rides, games of chance, FORTUNE-
Musketeers (10%), and Milky Way (9%). TELLING, HAUNTED HOUSES, refreshments and
live music. In the past, such activities as Hal-
Candy Corn—This popular Halloween con- loween court (wherein “criminals” were tried
fection was invented by the sons of two Ger- and received five- or ten-minute sentences
man emigrants to America. The Goelitz to “jail,” a small wire-mesh enclosed space)
Confectionery Co. invented candy corn in and even homemade rides (similar to soap-
the 1880s, and was producing it regularly by box racers) were popular.
1900. Today the firm’s successor, Herman Carnivals are also popular in Britain on
Goelitz, Inc., is best known as the maker of GUY FAWKES DAY, with some of the largest
Jelly Belly jelly-bean candies. being celebrated at Lewes, Bridgwater and
 43 Carpenter, John

Hatherleigh; these usually include PARADES these follow-ups were able to achieve the
and BONFIRES or FIREWORKS. financial or aesthetic success of Halloween.
The first film was followed by a string of
Carpenter, John (1948–) American film- sequels, beginning with Halloween II in 1981;
maker whose 1979 horror film Halloween be- however, Carpenter would never direct an-
came not only the most popular Halloween- other film in the series, although he did co-
themed horror movie ever made, but was write and co-produce (with Debra Hill) the
also one of the most successful independent first sequel. He was also involved as a pro-
films ever made and the progenitor of an en- ducer on Halloween III: Season of the Witch,
tire cycle of serial killer films (and a 2007 re- undoubtedly both the oddest film in this se-
make by writer/co-producer/director Rob ries and one of the strangest sequels ever pro-
Zombie). duced, since it has absolutely nothing in
Carpenter and producer/co-
writer Debra Hill had been in-
volved in talks with producer
Irwin Yablans about making a
thriller, when Yablans suggested
it be set during Halloween. Hill
and Carpenter agreed, and cen-
tered their script on Michael
Myers, a murderer who escapes
from a lunatic asylum to return to
his hometown of Haddonfield,
Illinois, where he murders teens
and finally stalks the brainy and
lonely Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee
Curtis). Carpenter’s extensive use
of subjective camera angles (espe-
cially the astonishing four-
minute-long opening shot) estab-
lished a “killer’s point-of-view”
style that would be copied for
years to come, in such films as Fri-
day the 13th and the rest in the
“slasher” cycle of the 1980s. Like-
wise, Carpenter and Hill’s pro-
tagonist — a virginal and re-
sourceful teenaged girl — would
become a trope of horror films for
the next two decades. However,
the use of the holiday and its
beloved symbols (JACK-O’-
LANTERNS, HAUNTED HOUSES, COS-
TUMES) cannot be discounted as
part of the film’s success; indeed,
the holidays were plundered for
horror film titles (even April Fools’
Day didn’t escape), but none of John Carpenter’s Halloween (photo by Kim Gottlieb)
Cassilis Downans 44

common with the first two films (although gypsy boy, Faa; Faa and his gang were cap-
they are glimpsed playing on television sets tured and executed by the earl, who locked
in the background). Based on an uncredited his fickle wife away in a tower).
script by legendary writer Nigel Kneale (best
Castle Halloween Museum— Castle Hal-
known for the British “Quatermass” series),
loween, located in Benwood, West Virginia,
Halloween III: Season of the Witch centers on
is the first museum dedicated to Halloween
a new antagonist, Conal Cochran (Dan
history and COLLECTIBLES. Housed in a for-
O’Herlihy), whose “Silver Shamrock” com-
mer elementary school building and holding
pany has a bestselling line of Halloween
over 35,000 pieces, the museum was opened
masks. When a mysterious death occurs in-
in 2005 by Pamela Apkarian-Russell and her
volving the masks, a small-town doctor
husband Chris Russell. In addition to Hal-
(Tom Atkins) and the daughter of a mur-
loween POSTCARDS, CANDY containers, COS-
dered store owner (Stacey Nelkin) investi-
TUMES, and FOLK ART, the museum also holds
gate Silver Shamrock, and discover that the
extensive collections of material based on
company is actually a front for a cult of an-
The Nightmare Before Christmas and Harry
cient CELTS who plan on using a combina-
Potter. Castle Halloween also houses a shop
tion of magic and technology to murder
and a research library, and is open for view-
America’s children on Halloween night in a
ing by appointment.
gigantic SAMHAIN sacrifice. The film is in-
triguing in its attempts to combine new Hal- Cats— The association of cats (especially
loween icons (PUMPKINS, WITCHES) with an- black cats) with Halloween is something of a
cient Celtic imagery (Stonehenge, even mystery. Cats are usually shown with
though the latter has been proven to pre-date WITCHES (to whom legend assigned them the
Celtic history), but the movie lacks the pace, role of “familiar”), but the origins of this
intensity, and visual style of Carpenter’s first connection are equally uncertain. As with
entry in the series. BATS and OWLS, cats may be popular at Hal-
Carpenter went on to direct many more loween simply because they are nocturnal
films, including the horror films The Thing, predators.
Christine, They Live, The Prince of Darkness, Unlike Halloween lore involving cats,
In the Mouth of Madness, and Vampires, but which typically holds them to be evil, Egyp-
none was as successful (or as important) as tians believed cats to be sacred; killing a cat
Halloween. was punishable by death. In Norse mythol-
Cassilis Downans— Rocky green hills lo- ogy, cats were one of the sacred animals of
cated in Scotland near the ancient seat of the the goddess Freya (a pagan association that
Earls of Cassilis, famed (like the Cove of may have led later on to the supposed rela-
Colean) for being a haunt of FAIRIES, and sin- tionship between cats and witches). Accord-
gled out for mention in ROBERT BURNS’s ing to romantic Celtic folktales, DRUIDS held
poem “Hallowe’en”: cats in high regard and one who killed or in-
jured a cat was sure to be punished by the
Upon that night, when fairies light, animal’s spirit. However, in truth there is lit-
On Cassilis Downans dance
tle evidence that CELTS held cats in high ven-
A history of Cassilis Downans mentions eration (there are some instances of cat-
a 17th-century earl, Alexander Kennedy, who headed men and monster cats, most notably
frequently accompanied his young wife to “Palug’s cat,” in later Welsh and Irish litera-
the top of the Cassilis Downans “because she ture). In “Voyage of Maildun,” Chapter XII
was anxious to see the fairies dancing there” tells of a palace guarded by a single small cat;
(unfortunately, the story ended when the when one of Maildun’s men foolishly tries to
youthful wife attempted to run away with a steal a torque, he is slain by the cat, who
 45 Cats

leaves nothing of him but a pile of ashes. An- bination into the sea. The most famous case
other misconception holds that Druids of this occurred during the reign of James VI
feared cats as evil spirits and often burned of Scotland, later James I of England (and
the animals alive in SAMHAIN bonfires; again, target of the Gunpowder Plot, which gave
we actually know very little about Druid rit- birth to the celebration of GUY FAWKES DAY).
uals. James had chosen Dano-Norwegian princess
In later Irish mythology the eating of Anne to be his bride, and witches of both
cats’ flesh was one method of prognostica- Norway and Scotland disapproved of the
tion. In a Scottish Gaelic traditional rite match. When the bride and fleet set sail from
called taghairm, a live cat is roasted slowly Norway for Scotland, witches caused a
on a spit over a fire in the belief that its charmed cat with a human leg attached to it
screams will call its feline companions, who to be thrown into the sea. The resulting tem-
will part with supernatural knowledge to pests were so severe that the fleet had to turn
save their companion. In addition, the back, and in his impatience King James de-
throwing of cats into a BONFIRE was a folk cided to set sail for Norway. This time
custom of one or two towns in France, al- witches tossed into the sea a cat with a dead
though this was performed on St. John’s Eve man’s knucklebone tied to all four paws. To
(or MIDSUMMER’S EVE) in June and on the make certain that the King did not reach his
first Sunday in Lent, not on Halloween (as is destination, the devil arranged a meeting
sometimes mistakenly believed). The custom with witches from both countries on the sea
was abolished by King Louis XIV in 1648, on Halloween night, when the King’s fleet
though it continued in the provinces until
as late as 1796.
While cats were usually believed to
function as witches’ familiars, one folklore
belief was that witches turned tabby-cats into
coal-black steeds to ride on Halloween (in
Scotland, families often locked their cats
away on Halloween in order to prevent them
from being thusly used); however, a cat seen
on Halloween might also be the witch her-
self transformed. The bone of a black cat
could be prepared as an invisibility charm;
the blood of a black cat could be used to heal
a wound; or the liver of a black cat could be
made into a powerful love potion. In Amer-
ican witch folklore, one can become a witch
by boiling a live black cat, taking the bones
to a spring and washing them there until the
DEVIL appears; the bone being washed when
the devil is first seen will be the witch’s “lucky
bone,” to be carried with her always.
Cats could control WEATHER; ships often
had cats onboard believing that no storm
could wreck the ship as long as they had a
cat. Conversely, a cat could be used to cre-
ate a storm at sea, by fastening one to a
human body part, then throwing the com- Vintage black cat wall decoration
Cauldron 46

would be half way across the North Sea. Sor- knocked over. The priest confronts the cats,
ceresses set out from both coasts in SIEVES sprinkling them with holy water; the black
and met the devil at the midpoint, where cats disappear, and the red cat reveals him-
they also encountered a ship named Grace of self to be “Auld Clootie” (the devil). When
God. They boarded her, feasted on her stores, Murdo, the priest and the others investigate
then whipped up a storm that foundered the the black cats, they find nothing but empty
ship and drowned all aboard, so there would cat skins, and Murdo resolves to never again
be no survivors to confirm the story. After go fishing on All Hallowmass Eve.
sinking the Grace of God, more than a hun- Cats are also the objects of SUPERSTI-
dred witches sailed back to Scotland and held TIONS — many of which are Halloween-
a great revel at the church in North Berwick specific—apart from witches: For example, if
where, after opening the lock with a witch a cat sits quietly beside you on Halloween
candle, they danced around the pulpit, and night, you will enjoy a peaceful life. If a cat
rifled graves and vaults. However, James’s rubs against you, it’s good luck; it’s even bet-
piety overcame the devil’s charms and he ter if the cat jumps into your lap. If a cat
reached Norway safely; upon his return, the yawns near you on Halloween, be alert and
witches were caught and forced into confes- do not let opportunity slip away. If a cat runs
sions before being executed. from you, you have a secret that will be re-
One traditional Scottish tale clearly sets vealed in seven days.
up an association between cats and Hal- Cats also starred in one Halloween GAME
loween: “Twelve Great Black Cats and the called “Meow, Meow”: Players sat in a ring,
Red One” tells the story of Murdo MacTag- and were asked to raise their hands when the
gart, who ignores warnings and tries to go ringleader called out something a cat could
fishing on All Hallowmass Eve. A great storm do. If they raised their hands at something a
arises, and he takes shelter in a small hut on cat could not do, they left the ring.
the shore. Twelve great black cats enter, led A cat is the eponymous character in one
by a red one, and sing a dirge to Murdo, then of the most popular Halloween stories of all
demand payment. He spots a sheep belong- time: Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat,”
ing to the local laird nearby, and offers that. which tells the gruesome tale of a murderer
They take it, but return before Murdo can whose plan to hide his wife’s body behind a
escape, and sing another dirge. This time he false wall in the cellar is foiled by his feline.
offers a cow, and once again they eat it and re- In recent years there has been some
turn. After the third dirge, Murdo spots the concern over the safety of black cats on Hal-
laird’s dog, and sends the cats after it. They loween, when they’re thought to be in dan-
chase the dog, and Murdo escapes into a ger of becoming sacrificial victims in some
nearby forest, but when he hears the cats re- pagan or Satanic cult ritual. Many animal
turning after failing to catch the dog he pan- shelters and adoption agencies suspend black
ics and climbs the highest tree he can find. cat adoptions around Halloween.
The red cat spots him, and sends three of his Halloween COLLECTIBLES expert PAMELA
black fellows up, but Murdo takes his knife APKARIAN-RUSSELL believes that black cats are
and slays them. The red leader calls the re- the most sought-after items, even more so
maining cats together, and they begin to than JACK-O’-LANTERNS; for example, a 2006
chew at the roots of the tree in an effort to auction of a candy container depicting a
knock it over. Murdo panics and calls for witch riding a large black cat fetched $8,250.
help; fortunately there’s a nearby church
where the priest is gathered with the towns- Cauldron— The word “cauldron” is derived
people. They hear Murdo and run into the from the Latin caldarium, meaning “hot-
forest to help, arriving just as the tree is bath.” Cauldrons are Halloween symbols
 47 Ceiling

usually displayed with WITCHES, who stand the Lad succeeds, but Finn hears a magical
over them preparing their odious brews. voice telling him to return the cauldron.
The special significance of cauldrons Finn and the Lad attempt to return the caul-
probably dates back to the CELTS, for whom dron, but the King of the Floods raises his
cauldrons figured prominently in everyday army on their approach. The Lad destroys
life, mythology and artwork; the Celts also the army, and they return home with the
used cauldrons in ritual feasting and even in cauldron, but on the way the Lad is attacked
burial practices. Perhaps the single most fa- by an old enemy. A shapeshifting battle en-
mous Celtic artifact is the Gunderstrup caul- sues, and finally both the Lad and his foe die
dron, found in Denmark and probably made while in the form of birds. The Lad’s wife
in the first or second century B.C. from pan- raises him, then they take the Lad’s final
els of silver. The cauldron’s beautifully- wages from Finn and leave.
sculpted side panels show scenes of Celtic life In another Celtic legend, the hero Mac
and deities. Cecht even uses a cauldron as a weapon,
In the lore of the Celtic otherworld, when he uses one to slay a band of outlaws.
magical cauldrons could not only protect Cauldrons also figure in later British
warriors, but could even resurrect them, or tales: For example, in the old Welsh poem
provide endless food. In one tale, FINN MAC- “The Spoils of Annwn,” Arthur visits the
CUMAL of the Fianna sends the Lad of the Otherworld to try to obtain the magic caul-
Skins to the King of the Floods, to take the dron of regeneration (which brings the dead
great cauldron that is never without meat, back to life). It’s possible that a panel on the
and return with it. Through magic and wile Gunderstrup cauldron may depict this caul-
dron, since one scene shows a large god-like
figuring lowering a smaller human figure
into a pot or cauldron. The cauldron may
even have been eventually transmuted into
the Holy Grail.
Cauldrons also figure in modern-day
WICCA rituals, in FORTUNE-TELLING games (a
popular event at parties of the 1930s was to
have a host dress as a witch, and pull the
guests’ fortunes from a cauldron), and in
contemporary decorating (plastic cauldrons
are used in displays or as candy holders for
TRICK OR TREAT).

Cavalcade— From the Latin caballicare (“to

ride on horseback”), “cavalcade” originally
referred only to processions on horseback.
In certain areas of Scotland, ALL SAINTS’ DAY
was celebrated with a cavalcade: The inhab-
itants of Hirt (St. Kilda) conducted an An-
niversary Cavalcade of All Saints, which in-
cluded a feast and a procession in which
HORSES were ridden using only a straw rope
for harness.

Ratchet noisemaker showing a jack-o’-lantern Ceiling—An American FORTUNE-TELLING be-

used as a witches’ cauldron lief states that if a girl looks upon her ceiling
Celebratons 48

in the dark of her bedroom before falling bration, and features live entertainment,
asleep on Halloween, she will see the face of COSTUME contests, and a highly-charged
her future husband. party atmosphere).
Many Halloween celebrations empha-
Celebrations— Despite its reputation in size charity events. Halloween in New Or-
many parts of the world as a somber or placid leans has become a large benefit celebration,
day, ALL SAINTS’ DAY and Halloween also with at least three nights of masquerades,
have a history of large-scale celebrations as balls, and parties (as well as the unorganized
old as the holidays themselves. but large-scale Halloween night activities on
SAMHAIN was celebrated with a great fair the streets of the French Quarter). In the past,
at Tara, which lasted for several days and in- New Orleans Halloweens have raised over $2
cluded races, contests, markets and feasting. million for charities in a single season.
Fairs were once popular at Halloween time, ANOKA, Minnesota, calls itself “the Hal-
just as CARNIVALS are today. For example, a loween capital of the World,” a title officially
great fair was recorded at Chateaurenard, sanctioned by Congress. It dates back to 1920,
near Avignon; the fair was used to open All and features three parades, costume contests
Saints’ Day, and was one of three special and more. However, the unofficial American
feasts celebrated there throughout the year. Halloween capital must certainly be Salem,
HALLOW-FAIR is still an entry in the Oxford Massachusetts. In addition to being a desti-
English Dictionary, indicating the great pop- nation point for practitioners of WICCA and
ularity of fairs at Halloween; Hallowmas Fair other NEO-PAGANS, Salem also features 24
in Edinburgh was an early celebration, days of Haunted Happenings, including Cos-
recorded in the Edinburgh Charters in 1507 tume Balls, walking tours and costume con-
(it’s still held today, and the traditional Hal- tests.
lowfair gingerbread is still sold there). ALL Anaheim, California, started a unique
SOULS’ DAY also had its own celebrations, Halloween celebration in 1923: a window
often called SOUL-MASS hirings, since farm- decorating contest among local businesses
ers hired their help for the next season there. (window painting contests may have origi-
Halloween has been celebrated in nally been instituted as an alternative to hav-
America with large-scale celebrations since ing the windows soaped or waxed on Hal-
the beginning of the twentieth century; these loween). The city also hosts a parade
events were often organized by townships or (because Anaheim is home to Disneyland,
cities. Although these celebrations were often parades since the late 1950s have included
organized originally to provide an alterna- Disney-themed floats) and a Halloween cos-
tive to PRANKING, they now serve more to tume pancake breakfast.
promote an area and to provide an outlet for Celebrations may also include or cen-
local retailers, since they usually feature food ter on HALLOWEEN ATTRACTIONS such as
and merchandise vendors. PUMPKIN PATCHES, CORN MAZES, or HAUNTED
Contemporary Halloween celebrations HOUSES. Similar to haunted houses are TRAILS
owe a large debt to GAY CULTURE, which has OF TERROR. Trails of terror have a history dat-
been mainly responsible for creating the ing back 70 years, and a number of commu-
three largest: The Greenwich Village PARADE nities across the U.S. still host these popular
(which boasts over two million participants outdoor activities. There are also PUMPKIN
and spectators, and is broadcast live inter- festivals held throughout both Canada and
nationally); the 10-day “Fantasy Fest” in Key the United States.
West, Florida; and Halloween night in West The favored spots for children’s Hal-
Hollywood, California (which calls itself loween celebrations over the last few years
America’s largest outdoor Halloween cele- have been ZOOS; many zoos throughout
 49 Celts

North America offer a “Boo at the Zoo” held their annual informal parade (a prac-
event, and the Louisville Zoo claims to host tice since 1884); after receiving complaints
“The World’s Largest Halloween Party,” of mild vandalism and rowdy behavior, po-
catering to costumed children and drawing lice restricted the students to campus. Boul-
around 90,000 guests. der, Colorado’s Halloween Mall Crawl was
The largest Canadian Halloween cele- popular until 1989, when riots led to van-
bration formerly took place in Halifax, Nova dalism, drunkenness, fighting, and concerns
Scotia, and was known as “Mardi Gras.” over public safety. Some stores began to
Started in 1981, by 1984 the event attracted board up their doors and windows; by 1993
15,000, with sections of streets blocked off; police succeeded in essentially ending the
events include costume contests, dancing, event that once drew nearly 40,000. San
and food and drink. By 1987, Halifax’s Francisco’s annual Castro Street revel turned
“Mardi Gras” drew 40,000, but numbers di- into a riot in 1994, when anti-gay protesters
minished after police tried to clamp down tried to interrupt the festivities; police de-
on drunkenness. The Mardi Gras was ended tained nearly a hundred people and confis-
in 1995, although some local merchants have cated several loaded guns.
tried to resurrect it.
Although Irish and Scottish BONFIRE Celts— A number of barbarian tribes orga-
and FIREWORKS celebrations have sometimes nized under the name Celtae (or the Greek
been sponsored by civic authorities as well, form Keltoi), and spread across Europe and
most European Halloween celebrations are the British Isles; the Irish Celts gave history
considerably smaller than their American SAMHAIN, the forerunner of the modern ver-
counterparts. In Ireland, Derry hosts what is sion of Halloween. We know surprisingly lit-
known as “Ireland’s first and number one tle about the Celts, since most of their his-
Halloween Carnival”; in addition to “Ghost tory and lore was transmitted orally, as
Tours of Haunted Derry,” on October 31st opposed to being written down; and since it
the city hosts a gigantic free street party. The has only been within the last four decades or
BBC wryly noted about Derry’s street carni- so that serious archaeological evidence of
val that “people out of costume [are] con- Celtic culture has been unearthed. Greek and
sidered abnormal.” Roman historians (including Caesar)
There are only a few large-scale Hal- recorded some observations of the Celts, but
loween celebrations in continental Europe, their observations are often colored by their
and they’re far smaller than their American perceptions of the Celts as both foes and pa-
brethren. The Frankenstein Festival in Ger- gans. Most of what we know of Celtic CELE-
many purports to be the largest European BRATIONS and mythology comes from the
celebration, and is held during the last three Irish sagas, which were first set to paper by
weekends at the site of Castle Frankenstein Christian monks, mainly from the ninth to
(an American group called “Tours of Ter- the twelfth centuries.
ror” began hosting Halloween trips to “Drac- Our understanding of Celtic history is
ula’s castle” in Romania in 1998). The town further obfuscated by the unfortunate ten-
of Retz, Austria, holds an annual Halloween dency of historians of the past to romanti-
festival (Kürbisfest), complete with pump- cize the Celts. When the DRUIDS were first
kins and a Halloween-Umzug (“Halloween rediscovered from classical sources, the
PAGEANT”); in fact, the area around Retz is philosophies then current in Britain had de-
now known for its annual pumpkin harvest. veloped the ideal of the “noble savage” and
Celebrations can occasionally turn ugly: the concept of “natural religion,” both of
One of the earliest examples dates back to which played a large role in the rise of the
1900, when University of Toronto students antiquarians’ fascination with the Druids,
Chalking 50

megalithic monuments and the origins of the though the later Christian church modified
British people. The “Age of Enlightenment” and absorbed pagan beliefs and lore.
had seen the rise of scientific thinking, but Celtic culture was divided into castes,
following it came the rise of Romanticism mainly the warriors, the Druids, and the fili
and many fringe areas of speculation. British (who served as bards and seers). Celtic reli-
and Anglo-Irish antiquarians such as gion featured a pantheon of gods and created
William Stukeley, John Toland and Edward a rich and complex mythology. Two of the
Davies, to name a few, started publishing a chief gods were the Dagda, a male deity
great deal of this sort of work. In their fervor, whose name means “the good” or “the all-
they even sometimes confused Celtic tradi- competent,” and who served as protector of
tions with those of other pre–Christian peo- his tribe, controlling warfare and wisdom;
ples; for example, the popular misconcep- and the Morrigan, sometimes known as “the
tion that Samhain was the name of a Celtic Queen of Demons,” who is both fertile and
“lord of death” may have confused the name destructive. The coming together of the
of the Celts’ New Years’ celebration with the Dagda and the Morrigan on the night of the
name of an ancient Hindu deity, Samana. festival of Samhain ensured the continuing
The Greeks thought the Celts were one prosperity of the tribe and the fertility of the
of the four great Barbarian peoples of the crops and animals in the coming year.
world (along with the Scythians, the Persians
Cemeteries see Graveyards
and the Libyans). Evidence of Celt warriors
has been found as far south as Egypt; they Chalking —One old Halloween PRANKING
can be traced clearly from about 450 B.C. on. practice was to chalk the backs of passersby,
The Romans frequently fought the Galli, or shout “Halloween!” and then run off. Chalk-
the Gauls, who were a Celtic people. After ing was popular in parts of England, espe-
they suffered a devastating defeat at Delphi in cially at Diss, Norfolk. The custom may have
279 B.C., the Celts began to move north derived from an earlier holiday called
through Europe, leaving behind a few scat- “Chalk-back Day,” which was held on the
tered tribes (including the Galatians in Thursday before the fair day (the third Friday
Northern Phrygia). By 58 B.C. the Romans in September); at this event backs were
had conquered Gaul, leaving Britain as the chalked essentially in honor of the fall
final outpost of Celtic power. equinox. Sometimes a worn bag of flour was
There may be traces of the Celts in used in place of chalk.
northeastern Scotland as early as 600 B.C.
Champ (also pandy)— Popular Irish Hal-
(and mythology records the Celts in Ireland
loween FOOD similar to COLCANNON, made of
as early as 939 B.C.), but most historians
mashed potatoes with milk, butter and LEEKS,
agree that it wasn’t until about 250 B.C. that
sometimes prepared with FORTUNE-TELLING
Celtic settlers came from France to the east
tokens (a thimble, a ring, and a coin). In the
and south coasts of Britain, spreading west
old days, the first two plates of champ were
and south. The Celtic tribes brought with
placed on top of the farm gate-pier.
them their famed two-wheeled war chariots,
In Scotland the dish was called
their art style, and possibly the Druids. In 55
“champit tatties,” and was usually served at
B. C. Caesar invaded Britain; in A . D. 43
the end of a Halloween party, with tokens
Claudius began the conquest of Britain.
embedded.
The history of Celtic tribes in Ireland is
difficult to trace. They spoke a different di- Changelings— One Irish belief was that
alect of the Celtish language, probably hav- FAIRIES occasionally kidnapped human chil-
ing first arrived around the sixth century B.C. dren and replaced them with a fairy child;
Ireland remained unconquered by Rome, al- this was often performed on Halloween. A
 51 Christmas

One MARTINMAS custom sounds suspi-

ciously like a SAMHAIN or All Hallows Eve
practice: Cockerel’s blood was sprinkled on
the interior and exterior corners of houses
as protection against supernatural forces.
Chimney— A chimney figures in one Hal-
loween FORTUNE-TELLING practice: The
names of eligible or likely matches were writ-
ten directly on the chimney-piece, and un-
married young men were led blindfolded to
the list, where the name they touched would
be that of their future wife.
China see Ch’ing Ming; Yue Laan
Ch’ing Ming (also Qing Ming)— Chinese
festival of the dead with some similarities to
ALL SAINTS’ DAY and ALL SOULS’ DAY.
Ch’ing Ming is the first of two Chinese
festivals of the dead held each year (the other
is YUE LAAN). Ch’ing Ming (which means
“clear and bright”) begins exactly 105 days
after the winter solstice, which usually cor-
responds to April 5 or 6 in the Western cal-
endar. Three days before Ch’ing Ming, all
fires are allowed to go out, and no new fires
This 1917 postcard shows pranksters engaged are started for three days in honor of a heroic
in chalking act from the Chou Dynasty (the day is some-
times called “Cold Food Day,” since there
changeling could be forced to reveal itself by
were no fires with which to cook). Early on
boiling eggshells in its presence (boiling
the day of the Festival, people visit their an-
eggshells would cause the imp to exclaim that
cestors’ graves, which are decorated with
in all his centuries of life he’d never seen the
WILLOW sprigs, paper money and offerings of
like, thus revealing himself ).
food. After feasts at the burial grounds, peo-
Chestnuts— On Halloween, “chestnutting” ple return home and decorate their houses
was once a popular FORTUNE-TELLING and with willow branches. Ch’ing Ming is also a
PARTY activity: Whoever found the first burr celebration of spring, and so it is customary
would be the first to marry; if the burr to plant trees on this day.
opened easily, the love would not last, but if In modern China (where anything re-
it was difficult to open the love would last. motely superstitious is held in disdain), the
See also NUTS. day has come to be one mainly for patriotic
CELEBRATIONS , although in the more rural
Chickens—In some parts of Britain, WITCHES
areas it’s still celebrated with traditional vis-
were supposedly unable to go near black
its to GRAVEYARDS and planting of trees.
chicken feathers, so on Halloween it was cus-
tomary to kill a black chicken and hang it on Christmas— The most popular holiday in
the door to the chicken house; likewise, its Western culture, celebrating the birth of
feathers might be tied elsewhere (for exam- Jesus Christ on December 25. Surprisingly,
ple, to a dog’s collar) for protection. Christmas shares a number of factors in
Churches 52

common with Halloween: Both were re- Lincolnshire, all members of the parish
garded in the past as favorable times for FOR- would be expected to enter the church, but
TUNE-TELLING ; both have involved GUISING those who were destined to die wouldn’t
customs, RHYMING and MUMMING; both in- leave (and a couple who exited arm-in-arm
volve family gatherings and feasts; both have would be married soon). Also in Lin-
mixed pagan and Christian influence colnshire, some participants reported feeling
(Christmas was originally the pagan holiday compelled to conduct a watch every year,
of Yule, “the birthday of the Unconquered while in other areas the watch must be con-
Sun”); and in the twentieth and twenty-first ducted for three years before one would ac-
centuries both have been heavily marketed tually see the procession. In another varia-
and generated billions of dollars in retail tion of this custom, it was necessary to run
sales. Unlike Christmas, however, which em- around the parish church THREE times and
phasizes and reaffirms traditional values of then peep through the keyhole of the door
family and gender, Halloween (in America to view the ghostly procession. In some of
especially) has become a night in which so- the Northern Counties of England, it was be-
cial norms are often inverted (children have lieved that the parish clerk would lead the
power, cross-dressing is accepted, etc.) In spectral parade through the churchyard.
fact, Halloween has even been referred to as These “church porch” customs were actually
“the Irish Christmas.” most common on St. Mark’s Eve (April 24),
Like Halloween, Christmas Eve was also and also on MIDSUMMER’S EVE.
a night favorable to learning about one’s fu- A Welsh story concerns a man who was
ture spouse. In fact certain practices, such as working in the church around the end of Oc-
sowing HEMP SEED, could be performed on tober; on the 31st, the workers received a
either Halloween or Christmas Eve. bonus, and the worker in question promptly
spent his on drink. When he returned to the
Churches— Churches figure in Halloween job unfit to work, he fell asleep in a pew, and
history not only as places of worship on ALL was forgotten; he awoke at midnight to the
SAINTS’ DAY and ALL SOULS’ DAY, but also as sound of a great commotion. Although he
much-frequented sites in FORTUNE-TELLING tried to crawl from the aisle, some unseen
customs. force impelled him back into his seat, and in
In Wales, women used to congregate in the darkness he heard a great procession. He
parish churches on the night of Halloween glimpsed the shadowy face and form of a
and read their fates from the flames of the neighbor, and exclaimed, “Lord, have mercy
CANDLES they held; they also heard the names upon my soul,” after which he felt the
or saw the COFFINS of the parishioners who strength to move. Even though the doors had
would die within the year. Another Welsh been locked by the sexton, they were now
practice directed the curious to sit in the wide open, and the worker fled; the next
church porch at MIDNIGHT on Halloween in morning the doors were once again locked.
order to witness a procession of all those who The neighbor the worker had glimpsed died
would die in the parish during the coming within the year.
year, all dressed in their finest clothes. Some Sometimes the church porch watch was
versions of the custom state that the watcher used as a marriage divination; in this case,
must arrive promptly at 11 P.M., and be pre- the watcher must lay a flower on the porch
pared to wait two hours; to fall asleep during at exactly 11 P.M., leave the church, and re-
this time means the watcher will die soon. If turn at midnight. The watcher would see a
the watcher saw an apparition who turned bridal procession (the number of brides-
back from the procession, that person would maids would indicate how many months
suffer a severe illness but would recover. In would pass before the wedding took place),
 53 Clowns

nothing at all (the watcher would not be There were also FORTUNE-TELLING meth-
married that year), or a funeral procession ods involving SHIRTS and SHOES.
(the watcher would remain unmarried until
Clover— A FORTUNE-TELLING practice from
death). A Welsh story tells of three young
Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk, prac-
girls in Glamorganshire who went to the
ticed until the 19th century, involved find-
church on Halloween and peeped through
ing a two-leafed clover on Halloween and
the keyhole of the church door. One girl saw
placing it in your SHOES as per these lines:
nothing; the second saw her grandfather; but
the third saw herself as an aged bride, while “Put it in your right shoe;
the bridegroom fell at the foot of the altar The first young man you meet,
steps. The third girl remained unmarried In field, street, or lane,
You’ll have him or one of his name.”
until she was 45, at which point she accepted
a proposal of marriage. The marriage cere- Clowns— Clowns have been popular Hal-
mony was conducted successfully, but as the loween figures ever since COSTUMING began to
bridal party turned to leave the bridegroom figure prominently in the holiday’s celebra-
suddenly fell dead at the foot of the altar tions. Clowns— principally the “whiteface”
steps. comic figures typically found in circuses—
In Herefordshire, they tell of a particu- bear some resemblance to MUMMING per-
larly frightening version of the church-porch formers, as well as the HOBO (also a promi-
custom: On Allhallows Eve at midnight, one
would look through the church windows and
see an unearthly light inside, and the pulpit
would be occupied by Satan in a monkhabit.
His sermon will include the names of those
to die in the coming year. One French story
about this custom involves a man named
Jack, who heard his own name and promptly
died of fright.

Cinderella—Popular Grimm’s fairy tale with

a connection to Halloween because of the
variant of the tale involving Cinderella’s
coach being fashioned from a PUMPKIN. Ref-
erences to Cinderella appear in children’s
RECITATIONS, POSTCARDS, etc.

Clairvoyance see Second Sight

Clothes— In an American SUPERSTITION, it

was bad luck to leave clothes hanging on the
line on Halloween night. In a custom from
the neighborhood of Market Drayton in
Shropshire, a group of young women would
gather, and each would hang a shift over the
back of a chair placed before the fire. At MID-
NIGHT the girls recited a charm which lasted
exactly ten minutes, and then waited to see
whose shift would move first, since that pre- A youthful clown celebrates in this 1920 post-
dicted the first girl to marry. card
Coel Coeth 54

nent Halloween figure). In the early part of where it had fallen to bring luck in money
the 20th century, clown costumes were matters.
home-made, featuring a jumpsuit with pom- In Ireland, coins (rather than CANDY)
poms, a comic hat, and colorful or oversized are the preferred treat offered to children
shoes; the hobo-style clown might, however, who engage in Halloween RHYMING. Coins
be garbed with ragged clothing and sus- are also the prize in many Halloween GAMES.
penders. A made-up face, with white grease-
paint, red nose, and exaggerated features, Colcannon (also callcannon, calcannon)—
may or may not have been part of the cos- Traditional Irish and Scottish Halloween
FOOD made of potatoes, onions and CABBAGE,
tume. By the 1950s, as Halloween costuming
became commercialized, popular television often with a ring for FORTUNE-TELLING hidden
clowns including Bozo and Clarabell (from inside. The first part of the name is taken
the Howdy Doody children’s show) became from “cole,” meaning cabbage; although the
bestsellers for companies like Ben Cooper rest of the derivation is uncertain, legend has
and Peter Puppet Playthings, Inc. it that the ingredients were once pounded
Clowns also provided the theme for with a cannonball, hence the last part of the
Halloween PARTIES (especially those designed name. Colcannon was originally known as
to resemble CARNIVALS) and performances, coimhbleidhe, and was so popular on Hal-
like the “Witch and Clown Drill” (with girls loween that the holiday was sometimes re-
dressed as WITCHES and boys as clowns) listed ferred to as CALCANNON NIGHT.
in a 1927 Halloween booklet. One sinister fortune-telling ritual in-
volved a girl placing a bit of colcannon onto
Coel Coeth (also Coel Certh)—Welsh name her stocking and placing it under her pillow
for the BONFIRE each family built in the most on Halloween night; she then invoked the
prominent place near the house on Novem- name of the DEVIL, and during sleep she
ber Eve. Part of this tradition involved each would dream of her future husband.
member of the family throwing a marked
white stone into the fire, after which prayers Colean— House in Scotland; nearby sits the
were said around the FIRE; in the morning famed Cove of Colean, which (like CASSILIS
any stones that could not be found indicated DOWNANS) is supposedly a haunt for FAIRIES,
that person would die within the year. and is named as such in ROBERT BURNS’s
An American version of this belief sug- poem “Hallowe’en”:
gests simply that the stones be placed in an
Or for Colean the route is ta’en,
“outdoor fireplace.” Beneath the moon’s pale beams;
Coffins— Coffins figure in many Halloween There, up the cove, to stray an’ rove
FORTUNE-TELLING customs. Usually, as in the Amang the rocks and streams
popular custom of sowing HEMP SEED, to see To sport that night.
a coffin means the viewer will die before Collectibles— In America, Halloween is
marriage; in other customs, such as one in- often considered the single most collectible
volving IVY, to see a spot in the shape of a holiday, although collecting Halloween
coffin means someone in the household will memorabilia is still a fairly recent pastime.
die within the year. To see a coffin dripping Collectors began to organize in 1984, when
blood meant the viewer would die in a vio- the first issue of PAMELA APKARIAN-RUSSELL’s
lent accident. Trick or Treat Trader magazine appeared,
Coins— In parts of Scotland it was custom- and by the publication of the first book on
ary to throw a silver coin through the front the subject (STUART SCHNEIDER’s Halloween in
door of the house on the morning of No- America) in 1995, Halloween collecting was
vember 1st. The coin had to remain hidden well-established.
 55 Colors

Unlike CHRISTMAS, Halloween decora-

tions were often thrown away each year,
making them scarce and sought by contem-
porary collectors. The earliest items are Ger-
man glass CANDY holders, circa 1905, which
can fetch over $500, especially for those
which retain their original paint. Other Ger-
man-made items are equally rare, including
composition and pressed paperboard JACK-
O’-LANTERNS, NOISEMAKERS, and die cut paper
decorations; during World War I, imports
from Germany ceased and American com-
panies took over manufacture of Halloween
items. COSTUMES are also popular, since they
can represent not only nostalgia for the hol-
iday, but also for a beloved character from
movies, television, comics, music or even pol-
itics. Dennison, a stationery and party goods
manufacturer, created yearly BOGIE BOOKS
which gave suggestions for Halloween par-
ties and costumes, and which are now among
the most highly-prized Halloween collectibles.
Collectible Star Wars Halloween costume
Although Dennison’s paper decorations
were popular, the most collected paper goods
Mexican DAYS OF THE DEAD items are
come from the Beistle company, established
also collected, and often featured in galleries
by Martin Luther Beistle in 1900. Beistle pro-
throughout the Southwest.
duced cardboard lanterns, table decorations
In 2005, Apkarian-Russell opened the
and wall hangings, often with superior
CASTLE HALLOWEEN MUSEUM, which houses
graphics and embossing.
approximately 35,000 Halloween and related
The 1950s also saw the introduction of
collectibles.
plastics, and hard plastic toys became in-
creasingly popular. E. Rosen/Rosbro Plastics Colors— Orange and black are traditional
produced plastic Halloween TOYS and candy Halloween colors in America (although not
containers from 1946 to the mid–1960s; in other countries), and have been accepted
today its wheeled toys (such as a CAT pushing as such since around the 1920s. In her 1919
a PUMPKIN) are very sought after and can eas- Book of Hallowe’en, RUTH EDNA KELLEY states
ily fetch hundreds of dollars. In a curious ex- that “the prevailing colors are yellow and
ample of holiday crossover, Rosbro occa- black”; however, the Dennison’s BOGIE BOOK
sionally took a toy produced for another released that same year begins with a section
holiday — such as a Christmas snowman — titled “Hallowe’en Colors” and notes: “Or-
and transformed it into a Halloween toy sim- ange is a bright and glowing color, well
ply by molding it in orange and black plastic suited to decorating for Hallowe’en. Black
COLORS. Union Products and Rosbro both and white give sharp contrast and gray has a
produced plastic, battery-operated jack-o’- softening influence.” Orange suggests the
lanterns, designed for children to carry dur- colors of the HARVEST—PUMPKINS, CORN,
ing TRICK OR TREAT. Pez candy dispeners, squash and gourds— while black expresses
“nodders” and Hallmark items are also pop- the holiday’s somber side, being the color (in
ular Halloween collectibles. Western culture) of mourning and death.
Colum Kill 56

In some areas of Europe, RED clothing Commerce see Retailing

is likelier to be worn on Halloween, since red
is thought to be a color which protects Corn —Associated with Halloween because
against malicious FAIRIES. corn (which usually refers to OATS outside of
America) ripens in late October. Corn husk-
Colum Kill— Another name for St. ing contests were popular at nineteenth-cen-
Columba, an Irish priest who in the sixth tury American Halloween PARTIES (red ears of
century had been ordered to convert the Picts corn could be used in divination), and
in Ireland. St. Columba successfully con- shocks of corn and corn stalks still are pop-
verted pagans throughout both Ireland and ular party and yard decorations.
Scotland before he founded a monastery on Corn (or oats) has been employed in
Iona island off the coast of Scotland. His Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING for at least four
name was invoked in an Irish GUISING cus- centuries, although this use probably dates
tom in the seventeenth century, when Irish back to the first millennium. One of the most
peasants went begging house-to-house ask- popular methods directed that the fortune-
ing for money to buy luxuries for a feast and seeker go to the cornfield alone on Hal-
demanding in the name of Colum (or loween night, and THREE times go through
Columb) Kill, or St. Columba, that fatted the motions of throwing (winnowing) corn
calves and black sheep be prepared for the against the WIND; on the third time, an ap-
feasting. Although St. Columba’s feast day is parition of the future spouse would pass by,
now officially given as June 9, there is some and the keen observer might also be able to
confusion as to the date in the past; not only discern something about his or her station
was there another St. Columba (the pa- in life. A Scottish variation (as mentioned by
troness of two parishes in Cornwall, England, ROBERT BURNS in his poem “Hallowe’en”) in-
where she was put to death by heathens) volved going to the barn and taking both
whose feast day was November 13, but the doors off their hinges, for there was the dan-
feast day has also been given as October 24. ger that mischievous spirits might shut the
The proximity of these dates may account doors and cause harm; then the wecht, or in-
for finding St. Columba’s name connected to strument used for winnowing the corn, was
the Halloween ritual; there’s also the possi- taken and used to go through all the motions
bility that the large Halloween celebrations in of letting down corn against the wind. This
Derry, Ireland, may be connected to that was repeated three times; and on the third
city’s veneration of St. Columba (several time an apparition would pass through the
Derry parks are named after Columba). barn, in at the windy door, and out at the
In Statistical Account of Iona, St. other; its appearance would mark its em-
Columba is also said to have been the first ployment or station in life. In another ver-
on record to possess the gift of SECOND SIGHT sion of corn winnowing, the ritual had to be
(he supposedly predicted the victory of performed in the name of the DEVIL. In his
Aidan over the Picts and Saxons). novel of sixteenth-century Scotland, The
In his paper “Trick or Treat: Pre-texts Monastery, SIR WALTER SCOTT mentions Hal-
and Contexts,” Tad Tuleja suggests that Hal- loween divinations, and one character de-
loween begging in the name of St. Columba scribes the results of corn winnowing: “‘I had
may be one of the three traditions which led not winnowed the last weight clean out, and
to the American TRICK OR TREAT (the other the moon was shining bright upon the floor,
two are SOULING and GUY FAWKES DAY beg- when in stalked the presence of my dear
ging). Simon Glendinning, that is now happy. I
never saw him plainer in my life than I did
Columba, St. see Colum Kill that moment…’”
 57 Corn

A simpler custom suggested hiding in the indicate the direction in which the reaper to
cornfield on Halloween night in order to hear whom it belonged was to go to seek work
what would transpire over the coming year. next harvest. If a hook broke in falling, an
In one divination, a spoonful of corn early death was predicted for its unfortunate
kernels (or sometimes beans or rice kernels) owner; when the point sank into the soil, the
was emptied to a counting rhyme which owner would marry soon.
would determine the profession of one’s fu- One harvest tradition involved winning
ture spouse. In an American fortune-telling the Cailleach, or last sheaf of corn. This was
game, each guest tried to empty three table- left standing but tied, and workers took turns
spoons full of corn kernels into a quart milk throwing their sickles at it, to see who could
bottle by watching in a MIRROR. The player cut it down (later, workers were blindfolded
with the highest score (number of kernels in and swung their scythes to see who could
the bottle) will be the one who at the age of “snig” the Cailleach). It was then taken in as
50 will have amassed the fortune in thou- a centerpiece at the harvest feast, and tied to
sands of dollars as indicated by the number the ceiling in the kitchen to bring good luck
of kernels of corn. for the next year. It might also be hung up
One Irish custom was to take the last over the door, and used in divination: The
sheaf of corn at HARVEST time (usually just
before Halloween) and hang it in the kitchen;
then at C HRISTMAS it was taken down and
spread out along a nearby hedge to feed the
birds, a practice which brought good luck.
The last sheaf was sometimes called “the corn
maiden” (possibly derived from the old word
“mod-dun,” meaning an elevated spot,
where the end of harvest was announced),
the “CORN DOLLY,” or “the kern baby,” al-
though in some areas it was the “CAILLEACH,”
or old woman. In his book on Festivals, Cer-
emonies, and Customs, Sir Benjamin Stone
records a Northumberland tradition, in
which the men “got the kern” at the close of
reaping and dressed it in “a white frock with
colored ribbons and crowned with corn
ears.” This “kern baby” was then carried to
the barn on a pole, and was later placed in
the church for harvest festivities.
In the Scottish custom known as “cry-
ing the kirn” (it has been suggested that
“kirn” is actually derived not from corn but
from “cairn,” where Halloweens were sup-
posedly once celebrated as SAMHAIN), on the
last day of harvest, when the last handful of
grain was secured, the reapers proceeded to
the nearest high point and loudly proclaimed
that harvest was done. Their scythes were This ¡909 postcard by Bernhardt Wall shows
collected, then thrown into the air; the di- the importance of corn and harvest on Hal-
rection of the falling hook was supposed to loween.
Corn Dolly 58

first one through the door after the Cailleach from the last sheafs of CORN (or OATS). In
was hung would be a future spouse. Scotland, when the last corn was cut after
Another corn harvest tradition involved HALLOWMAS, the female figure made out of it
biting off a piece of the cart that brought was sometimes called the Carlin or Carline
home the last load of corn, and then holding (the Old Woman), or the CAILLEACH. But if
that piece in the mouth while going to listen the corn was cut before Hallowmas, it was
at a NEIGHBOR’s window; the first name heard called the Maiden; if cut after sunset, it was
would be that of the future spouse (the last called the Witch, and brought bad luck.
load of grain communicated power to the In his classic The Golden Bough, SIR
cart). JAMES FRAZER discusses corn dollies exten-
It was once popular to weave various sively, seeing them as evidence of ancient fer-
Halloween items from corn, straw and or tility rituals.
rushes, such as hats, PARSHELLS, or rush lad-
ders. The STRAWBOYS actually made costumes Corn Mazes—A corn maze is a type of HAL-
from straw. LOWEEN ATTRACTION ,
although corn mazes
In Scotland, it was noted that every an- aren’t always exclusively tied to Halloween—
imal in the barn received a whole “Hallow” they may simply be a form of “agri-tourism”
(or sheaf of corn) for breakfast on Hal- or “agri-tainment,” or a way of turning part
loween, in addition to the usual amount of or all of a farm into a tourist destination.
food; in the household the day was preserved Corn mazes are similar to the hedge mazes
as a “fanteen,” or fast, until the evening. found in European gardens for centuries;
CORN MAZES are now popular HAL- however, the first modern corn maze, “The
LOWEEN ATTRACTIONS throughout the United Amazing Maize Maze,” was designed in the
States and Great Britain. 1990s by maze designer Adrian Fisher (with
Don Frantz). Corn mazes have become in-
Corn Dolly— A HARVEST custom with cer-
creasingly widespread in the U.S. over the
tain specific Halloween variants. Typically a
last 20 years, as companies such as Fisher’s
corn dolly was a semi-human figure made
firm in Britain, The MAiZE (in Utah) and
Corn Mazes America have
sprung up, offering farmers
and corn field owners com-
plete packages, which include
design, cutting (using GPS
technology), and operation of
seasonal corn mazes. The
crops used in corn mazes are
usually a hybrid chosen spe-
cifically for this purpose, and
they’re planted later than corn
grown for harvest, so they
won’t ripen until Halloween.
Corn mazes can generate spec-
tacular profits for farmers, re-
turning nearly 200 times the
amount of profit to be made
from simply harvesting the
The author checks a map in the corn maze at Forneris Farms corn, and many farmers at-
in Mission Hills, California tribute corn mazes to saving
 59 Costumes

their farms. There are now hundreds of corn (where it is now most common) may have
mazes operating annually, with most being begun with a nineteenth century THANKS-
between 1 and 5 acres (the largest on record GIVING practice, when children (mainly
is Cool Patch Pumpkins in Dixon, California, around New York) sometimes dressed in cos-
with nearly 43 acres). Designs rarely feature tumes and begged house-to-house. This
Halloween imagery, but instead focus on ei- practice (possibly along with the costumed
ther local happenings (a sports team, a state CHRISTMAS custom of BELSNICKLING) may
flag) or a depiction of the farm itself. Corn have led to the development of TRICK OR
mazes are often combined with PUMPKIN TREAT, the American Halloween ritual that
PATCHES, Halloween face painting, HAYRIDES, defined Halloween for several decades in the
and other Halloween attractions; occasionally twentieth century.
a corn maze is also a haunted attraction, with As with trick or treat, costuming for
actors and scares stationed throughout the children was heavily promoted in many
maze. However, corn mazes are considered American cities as an alternative to destruc-
more “family-friendly” than haunted houses, tive PRANKING. For example: Citizens and
and thus attract more children and elderly
customers than haunted attractions.
Corn Meal— Figures in one American Hal-
loween FORTUNE-TELLING practice: Corn meal
is spread on the floor by the side of the bed on
Halloween (or on top of a dresser) and
ghosts come during the night to write the
name of the future spouse in it.

Corpses— Corpses were featured in one

macabre Welsh SUPERSTITION: WIND blowing
over the feet of corpses on Halloween bore
sighs to the houses of those who were to die
within the year.

Costumes— Costuming on Halloween is an

ancient tradition; although some popular
historians like to say it started with the CELTS,
there is virtually no proof of this. The earli-
est examples of Halloween costuming can be
found in MUMMING, GUISING, and SOULING
traditions. LORDS OF MISRULE might order
masquerades, DAYS OF THE DEAD have long
been celebrated in Mexico with costumed
dancers, COLUM KILL beggars wore costumes,
and children celebrating GUY FAWKES DAY
dressed in rags. One traditional American
Halloween game involved guessing the real
identities of costumed partygoers. Modern
Halloween CELEBRATIONS probably also owe
something to the use of costumes at MARDI The girl on the left wears a homemade, Dis-
GRAS. ney-inspired costume (photograph circa
Halloween costuming in America ¡930).
Cows 60

merchants of Danville, Illinois promoted a weapon, or that depicted a “horror charac-

youngsters’ costume contest beginning in ter” or ethnic/gender stereotype; in one Illi-
1912, complete with a parade and cash prizes. nois school, students were encouraged to
By 1916, the celebration had proven so suc- wear costumes based on “animals and food.”
cessful that special trains were arranged on Dennison started selling disposable
Halloween to bring thousands of young cos- paper costumes in 1916, and Sears, Roebuck
tumed celebrants to the city. sold its first costume in 1930. However, it
Costuming among adults caught on in wasn’t until the boom in both trick or treat-
the second half of the twentieth century, ing and the postwar economy that pre-made
principally starting within GAY CULTURE, then costumes really took off; collectors now con-
spreading into the American mainstream. sider the period from 1948 to the mid–1970s
The influence of costumed comedy in the to represent the golden age of Halloween
late 1970s (the Coneheads, Steve Martin’s costumes. The prime costume manufactur-
“King Tut,” etc.), may have contributed to ers are Collegeville (now officially College-
the popularity and certainly to the choice of ville-Imagineering, L.P.), which began in the
many costumes for the next few years. early 1900s as a flag maker, but started pro-
Whether for adults or for juveniles, Hal- ducing costumes as early as 1920; Ben
loween costumes in the twentieth and Cooper, who started in the early 1930s and li-
twenty-first centuries have represented the censed such popular characters as Star Wars
pop culture of each decade: In the 1950s, tele- and “Strawberry Shortcake”; and today’s
vision personalities, including Lucille Ball, leader, Rubies Costume Company, founded
Huckleberry Hound, Bugs Bunny, Kukla and in 1951 by Rubin and Tillie Beige. Early cos-
Ollie were most popular. In the 1960s, more tumes were often made of flannel or cotton,
adult programming found its way into chil- but from about 1951 on costumes were made
dren’s costumes, with the Addams Family, of silkscreened rayon or vinyl, and usually
Barnabas Collins from Dark Shadows, and sold in a box which included a plastic MASK;
Star Trek all producing bestselling costumes. “deluxe” costumes might also includes acces-
Rock and roll was also a part of the cultural sories such as wigs, mustaches, swords, etc.
landscape, and the Beatles and the Monkees By 1990, adult costuming began to over-
were among the decade’s most requested cos- take children’s costuming. Western Costume
tumes. During the 1960s, Halloween cos- Company in Hollywood (which usually sup-
tumes also reflected the country’s political plies costumes to the film industry) rents ap-
divides, with Green Berets stepping out toe- proximately 4,000 costumes each Halloween,
to-toe with hippies. In the 1970s and 1980s, almost completely to adults. Adult costum-
slick character costumes prevailed, ranging ing is not confined to Halloween PARTIES,
from Scooby Doo to E.T. In the 1990s, one however; studies have shown that Halloween
odd new trend emerged — the product as costuming in the workplace can actually in-
Halloween costume, with LifeSavers, Her- crease productivity and morale.
shey Bars and McDonald’s Big Macs all shar- In the last few years it has also become
ing sidewalks with Bart Simpson and the popular to dress one’s pet in a Halloween
Power Puff Girls. In 2001, or, more specifi- costume, with one in eight households cos-
cally, in the wake of the devastating 9/11 ter- tuming a pet.
rorist attacks, far and away the most popular
costumes were firemen and policemen. By Cows—In his comprehensive collection Pop-
the late 2000s, as schools sought to stem gang ular Beliefs and Superstitions: A Compendium
violence and protect diversity, students in of American Folklore, Newbell Niles Puckett
some districts were prohibited from wearing records several American beliefs regarding
anything that included a mask, a fake cows on Halloween. In one FORTUNE-TELLING
 61 Cuchulain

ritual, a woman would sit up on Halloween times was that on All Hallows’ Eve a dead
night without speaking, and hang up a towel soul was to be found at midnight at every
near her bedroom door, where she would crossroad and on every STILE.
also place a basin of WATER; at MIDNIGHT her In one Italian legend a man went to a
future husband would come in to wash and crossroads at midnight on Halloween, and
dry his hands, and when he left the cows out- arrived in time to see a ghostly procession
side would begin “to bawl.” Another (and leave the cemetery and come down the road.
even more whimsical) American belief is that The souls of the good tried to warn him to
cows talk to each other and to people on Hal- flee, but he didn’t listen; when the horrible
loween night. troop of the damned came near him, he fell
In the Hebrides, a young man would dead.
dress in a cow-hide on Halloween night and
carry a piece of burning hide to each house- Crowdie (also crowdy)–Lowland Scottish
hold, bringing good luck to any who should name for a dish of milk and meal, popular at
inhale the fumes of the hide (at least one Halloween, sometimes with a FORTUNE-
folklorist considered this practice to be a TELLING token (a ring) hidden inside. See also
hold-over from ancient sacrificial customs). FUARAG.

Crack-Nut Eve — Variation of NUTCRACK Crows— A Welsh SUPERSTITION is that if

NIGHT crows caw around the house in the afternoon
of Halloween, a human or animal inhabitant
The Craft see Wicca of the house will soon be found dead.
Crossroads—Crossroads figure prominently Cruachan—A fairy cave of unusual size and
in the mythology of the supernatural; for ex- significance, found in Connaught, known
ample, murderers and suicides were fre- as “the hell-gate of Ireland.” According to
quently buried at crossroads, in the hopes Celtic lore, the cave was unbarred on
that their vengeful spirits would be so bewil- SAMHAIN Eve and a host of horrible FAIRIES,
dered at their choice of paths that they fiends and GOBLINS rushed forth, particularly
wouldn’t find their way home to wreak a flock of copper-red birds led by a mon-
havoc. Lonely rural crossroads are particu- strous three-headed vulture, which blighted
larly dangerous, and WITCHES’ covens were crops and killed animals by their poisonous
believed to have chosen such locations for breath.
their gatherings.
A popular Scottish FORTUNE-TELLING be- Cuchulain—A Celtic hero of the Ulster cycle
lief involved sitting on a THREE-legged stool of epic tales. As with most of the CELTS’ he-
at the place where three crossroads met to roes, Cuchulain is involved in a number of
hear at the hour of MIDNIGHT on Halloween SAMHAIN stories. On one Samhain night,
the names of parishioners who would die Cuchulain’s ship comes to the island of
during the coming year. If the listener Rechrainn, where he finds a beautiful girl
brought gifts (or articles of clothing) and sobbing on the beach. She tells him that every
gave them to the fairy who called the names year the Fomorians demand heavy tax (in an
(one item for each name), the doomed would early story of the Tuatha de Danaan, the Fo-
be saved. morians are said to have demanded two-
A Welsh custom involved going to a thirds of their milk, corn and children); this
crossroads on Halloween, where one could year her father the king couldn’t pay, so they
listen to the WIND and learn all the most im- demanded he leave her on the beach as their
portant things that would happen for the tribute. When three Fomors appear, Cuchu-
next 12 months. A Welsh belief in former lain kills them.
Cyniver 62

Cyniver— In this Halloween FORTUNE- is then answered by the first member of the
TELLING game, members of both sexes seek opposite sex to find one. These two are thus
an even-leaved sprig of ash; the first of ei- joined in a wedlock prophecy.
ther sex to find one calls out “cyniver,” and

D
Day Of Wrath see Dies Irae parted”), or Día de las Animas Benditas
(“Day of the Blessed Souls”). In some regions
Days of the Dead—In Latin American coun-
the evening of October 31 is the beginning of
tries the first and second of November —ALL
“Day of the Dead Children” (which is cele-
SAINTS’ DAY and ALL SOULS’ DAY— are
brated mainly around the family home); this
known as the “Days of the Dead,” or Días de
is followed on November 1 by the “Day of the
los Muertos. In some areas these days are also
Dead Adults” (which is celebrated more at
known as known as Todos Santos (“All
the graveyard), and continues to November
Saints”), Día de los Difuntos or Fieles Difun-
2. Only when November 2 happens to coin-
tos (“Day of the Departed” or “Faithful De-
cide with a Sunday is all All Souls’ Day cele-
brated on November 3. The actual holidays
are often preceded by a “week of the dead,”
although preparations can begin a month in
advance of Días de los Muertos. In America,
Día de los Muertos is usually celebrated only
on November 2.
Days of the Dead combines Roman
Catholicism with pre–Hispanic, mainly
Aztec, celebrations. In pre-conquest Mex-
ico, the Days of the Dead CELEBRATIONS took
place as the Aztec feasts of the dead (MIC-
CAILHUITL AND MICCAILHUITONTLI), held dur-
ing the months of July and August. Con-
quering Spaniards tried to replace the Days
with ALL SAINTS’ and ALL SOULS’ DAYS, but
many of the surviving traditions, and the fes-
tive nature of Días de los Muertos, are prob-
ably pre–Columbian relics.
The contemporary celebration of Days
of the Dead dates as far back as the 1740s,
when a Capuchin friar, Francisco de Ajofrin,
reported both the first known use in Mexico
of the term “Day of the Dead,” and the pro-
duction and sale of figurines made from
sugar paste (known as alfeñique). By 1766 the
Royal Criminal Chamber prohibited atten-
Papier mâché Days of the Dead skeleton toy dance at cemeteries and also imposed a pro-
 63 Days of the Dead

hibition on the sale of alcoholic beverages have written against it and even painted elab-
after nine P.M., attesting to the fiesta’s repu- orate murals (depicting a soccer player kick-
tation for revelry. From the nineteenth and ing a pumpkin-headed figure). In 1996,
twentieth centuries come accounts of Mayan clerics in the Northern Mexican states pro-
village celebrations of HANAL PIXAN, which is hibited the celebration of Halloween, de-
still recognized in the Yucatan and Quintana claring it to be secular and commercial, and
Roo areas of southeast Mexico. A nine- representing a threat to the sanctity of the
teenth-century description by Fanny Days of the Dead. Nonetheless, working class
Calderón de la Barca mentions draping Mexican boys can now be found wearing cos-
Catholic churches in black for Days of the tumes and carrying plastic JACK-O’-LANTERNS,
Dead. A year later, in a letter from 1841, she going through the streets and graveyards and
makes the first recorded mention of sugar begging for either their “Jaloüín” (a Mexican
skulls (still one of the most popular aspects phonetic version of Halloween), or even for
of Days of the Dead), and mentions old mi calabaza—“my pumpkin.”
women manning stalls calling out “Skulls, In some areas of Mexico, the Days of
niñas, skulls!” In 1858 the German-born the Dead start on October 27, a day dedicated
Mexican farmer Carl Christian Sartorius to the spirits of those who died without FAM-
published his Mexico, Landscapes and Popu- ILIES; they are received with bread and jugs
lar Sketches, which included considerable de- of WATER placed outside houses. In certain
scription of Days of the Dead activities, es- villages, offerings are collected and placed in
pecially the purchasing of new clothing and a corner of the parish church. On the next
CANDLES . He also mentions young rogues day, October 28, those who died by accident,
who offered their services to pray for the murder or other violent means are offered
dead, but usually did nothing but filch food food and drink, again placed outside the
and drink from the ofrendas, or offerings house (to keep away malignant spirits). On
(these are usually elaborate altars to the the night of October 31, dead children are re-
dead). By 1971, the Days of the Dead had be- ceived (although some areas break this down
come so popular that the Ministry of to the los niños limbos, or “infants in
Tourism of the State of Michoacán and the limbo”—children who died before baptism,
state agencies Casa de la Cultura and the and who return on October 30, while the
Casa de Artesanias began a campaign to at- souls of other children return on October
tract tourists to Michoacán with special em- 31). The child GHOSTS are gone by midday on
phasis on Days of the Dead celebrations. The November 1, at which time dead adults are
small community of Tzintzuntzan, on the received, beginning with whomever has
shores of Lake Pátzcuaro, received special at- passed away most recently. By the evening of
tention because it was once the capital of the November 2, the ghosts depart (sometimes
ancient Purepécha Empire. During the next led back to the family tomb by a trail of zem-
two decades the influx of tourism actually pasuchitl (yellow marigold, the special flower
began to define Tzintzuntzan’s Days of the of the dead) petals, the scent of which is
Dead celebration, with the Ministry of thought to draw the dead spirits), and
Tourism establishing a “Festival of Dances masked mummers may be needed to scare
and Pirekuas” (Pirekuas are Purepécha away stubborn ones. In a few areas the of-
songs), and outdoor dramas. By the 1990s the ferings and feasting occur on the octava, No-
event had come to be known simply as La vember 8 or 9.
Feria, or “the Fair.” Halloween has also made The most exotic and beautiful of the
considerable inroads into Mexico’s tradi- Days of the Dead ceremonies (and the one
tional Days of the Dead celebrations, often most well-attended by tourists) is held in the
to the dismay of Mexican nationalists, who Tarascan island village of Janitzio on Lake
Days of the Dead 64

Pátzcuaro, west of Mexico City. The cere- Dead, Mitzita and Itzihuapa arise (along with
mony begins on the day of November 1 with the twenty spectral guards) and ascend to the
“The Vigil of the Little Angels,” a ritual in island’s hilltop to receive offerings.
which the island’s children attend to the In some villages masked Comparsas or
graves of deceased loved ones while their par- mummers go house to house on the nights of
ents observe from the edges of the cemetery. October 31 and November 1, singing verses
On the eve of November 1, when women and which might mock the foibles of each family
children go to bed at sunset, since they will they visit. It’s also not uncommon to employ
awaken at MIDNIGHT, men go about singing the services of rezanderas, professional
alabanzas (hymns to the dead). The young prayer-makers. In Mixquic, immense card-
men also engage in a ritual called Teruscan board skeletons guard the gates of the ceme-
(“reunion”), in which they pretend to “steal” tery throughout the day, only to be joyfully
various food items (with the blessing of all burned at night. The Zapotecs in Yalalag
participants), and return to the Guatapera (a dress in white shrouds and make their way to
communal house), where the food is pre- the graveyard wailing. The town of Huaque-
pared and served to the participants. At mid- chula in the state of Puebla is famous for its
night the women rise and dress themselves large, beautiful shrines, decorated completely
and their children in fiesta garments. They in white, and sometimes incorporating
pack baskets of food for the OFRENDAS, or of- Christmas lights and garlands brought back
ferings. The special delicacy prepared for the from work trips to the United States. In the
ghosts here is roasted wild duck, killed sev- lush central states of Mexico, people of the
eral days earlier by hunting parties on the Tenek tribe celebrate the time as XANTOLO,
lake. At midnight on November 1, women and celebrate with the construction of elab-
and children climb steep paths to the hillside orate arches.
cemetery. Over each grave is placed an arch
garlanded with zempasuchitl and hung with
panes de muertos (bread of the dead);
marigold petals are scattered on the family
graves (Aztec tradition specified yellow for
adults and white for children). Candles are
lighted on each grave, and then the women
and children sit all night by the graves while
the men and grown boys linger on the out-
skirts of the cemetery, leaning against the
wall singing alabanzas and taking sips from
bottles of pulque. At dawn, the women open
their baskets, offer the food to heaven, to the
souls of the dead, and then to each other;
they leave after eating.
Janitizio is also home to one of the most
haunting Day of the Dead GHOST STORIES:
When the Spanish conquered the Purepecha,
the royal princess, Mitzita and her love
Prince Itzihuapa tried to obtain a legendary
treasure at the bottom of the lake with which
to ransom Mitzita’s father, but they were
overcome by the ghostly warriors who
guarded the treasure. Now, each Day of the A Days of the Dead candy skull
 65 Days of the Dead

In nearly all communities spun sugar Little Angels”), and the graves of children are
skulls, often with children’s’ names written given special attention on that day. Flowers
on the foreheads, are found, and are often are still popular, but modern decorations also
given as gifts to friends. Rich mole sauce (fla- include shells, plastic flowers and wreaths (or
vored with chocolate) is cooked as a favorite coronas, sometimes handmade), wrought
food of the season, and copal incense is also iron or handmade flower-decorated crosses
popular in both homes and graveyards. Dulce (cruces), and paper flowers. Once it was com-
de calabaza, or candied pumpkin, is a fa- mon to provide feasts at home for the visit-
vorite treat, as is atole, an age-old drink made ing spirits, with sweet foods placed for the
from corn meal, fruit and water. Poems souls of children. The food was left un-
called calaveras (“skulls”) are sent to public touched until midnight, at which time it was
figures, satirizing them; this tradition has thought that the souls had eaten and drunk
also found its way north into some Mexican- their fill, although it was believed that the
American communities. Calacas (dancing “baby souls” had taken all the sweetness from
wire and clay skeletons, often with heads and the candies and cookies provided for them.
arms on wire springs) are common, as are Although these feasts are no longer common,
cut paper banners called paleles picados. In pan de muertos is found in every bakery; it
some areas celebrants don wooden skull is good luck to be the one who bites into the
masks and dance in honor of their deceased plastic toy skeleton hidden by the baker in
relatives (a festivity which seems to be drawn some rounded loaves. The loaves are eaten
completely from the Aztec Miccailhuitl). The in memory of the dead, are sometimes
wooden skulls are also placed on altars that shaped like bones or bodies, and are often
are dedicated to the dead. topped with purple sugar.
In Mexican-American communities By the late 1990s, Days of the Dead cele-
(especially Texas), All Souls’ and All Saints’ brations had begun to cross over into other
Days mean trips to the camposantos (holy parts of the United States, especially areas with
ground, or cemeteries), where graves are large Mexican-American communities. It has
cleaned and decorated, and family picnics gained particular popularity in the “Gothic”
eaten graveside. As in ALL SAINTS’ DAY cus- subculture, where it is viewed as a holiday that
toms reported from New Orleans, boys stand “hasn’t been touched by Hallmark,” notes
by the gates of graveyards with jugs of water, “Goth King” Seth Lindberg. Tomas Benitez,
hoping to make money from helping to clean an East Los Angeles resident who hosts large
graves. One small community near San An- celebrations each year, said, “The Day of the
tonio holds a candlelit procession from the Dead is not about ghouls and goblins, it’s
parish to the graveyard, where the priest says about life and death. In celebrating death, you
mass and blesses the graves; citizens of an- are celebrating life as part of the same
other border town outside of Rio Grande cycle….” Days of the Dead celebrations have
City celebrate by saving up enough money also spread to non–Hispanic communities in
in the weeks prior to Día de los Muertos to the U.S.; parties usually consist of each per-
decorate the entire graveyard, not just their son bringing photos or other remembrances
loved ones’ plots. In addition, the day is often of deceased love ones, and placing them on a
referred to as el día de los difuntos or el día communal altar for the evening, which is cel-
de los finados (“day of the finished” or “de- ebrated joyfully with music and food.
parted”). In many poor border communities, Altars (or ofrendas, even though the
graveyards don’t have the luxury of perpet- word technically means “offerings”) remain
ual care, so cleaning of graves is an important one of the most common parts of Days of the
(and sometimes difficult) task. November 1 Dead celebrations, and are now increasingly
is also called Día de los Angelitos (“Day of the popular in the U.S. as well. Altars tradition-
Death 66

ally include photos and other remembrances for “light bringer”), Beelzebub (Hebrew for
of the deceased, a rod to drive away evil spir- “Lord of the Flies”), Belial (Hebrew for
its, a mat to welcome the deceased, and “worthlessness”), Mephistopheles (from the
something for them to eat. legend of Faust), and Satan (Hebrew for “ad-
Just as GUY FAWKES DAY and Halloween versary”); the word “devil” comes from the
have become mixed in the minds of many Greek diabolos, meaning “accuser” or “slan-
Irish and British, so is Days of the Dead derer.” In Scotland, the devil is frequently
merging more with Halloween; for example, referred to as “Auld Nick” (see, for example,
during the season one can find a “Día de los ROBERT BURNS’s poem “Tam O’Shanter”).
Muertos Halloween Fun House Party” in Los There is some speculation among historians
Angeles. In other areas of the U.S. where that the devil and other malicious creatures
Mexican immigrants have settled, Days of are actually ancient Celtic deities (or other
the Dead may be celebrated with no more horned gods, such as the Greek Pan), vil-
than a mass. Since their loved ones are often lainized by Christianity and transformed.
buried far away, visiting graveyards is im- Likewise, WITCHES (who, in contrast to ac-
practical. See also FINADOS; MICCAILHUITL tual WICCA practices, were thought to wor-
AND MICCAILHUITONTLI; NININ; XANDU YA; ship the devil, sell their souls to him and even
XANTOLO. engage in sexual relations with him) may be
the followers of old Celtic pantheistic reli-
Death— In Ireland it was a common SUPER- gions, forced into hiding by their dedication
STITION that the elderly and infirm were like-
to their old religion.
lier to die at Halloween than at any other In a few Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING
time of the year. customs, the devil’s name is invoked. For ex-
Debts—SAMHAIN, as the CELTS’ New Year, ample, in one custom a fortune-seeker must
was a time when obligations were settled — walk about a rick NINE times with a RAKE
workers were paid off, and debts and rents while saying, “I rake this rick in the devil’s
were finished. Although some of this has name.” A vision of the future intended will
shifted in modern times to MARTINMAS, then appear and take away the rake. Or, to
there’s still an Irish proverb that says, “Every-
one has debts at Hallowe’en.”
Decoration Day see Memorial Day
Detroit see Devil’s Night
Devil— The devil is a popular Halloween
symbol, featured in COSTUMES, decorations,
POSTCARDS and other COLLECTIBLES. In theo-
logical terminology the devil is the chief of
the fallen angels, and demons are sons of the
fallen angels and human mothers. These an-
gels were variously thought to have fallen be-
cause of envy (of man), or pride (because
they would not submit to God). The devil is
referred to by a panoply of names, including
“Old Scratch,” “Old Horny,” “Auld Cloots”
(cloots is a Scottish word referring to cloven Wooden devil mask (decorated with porcu-
hooves), “The Dickens,” “The Evil One,” pine quills) used in Mexican Days of the Dead
“The Prince of Evil,” Lucifer (from the Latin festivities.
 67 Dies Irae

have prophetic dreams, a girl would search of October and the first of November. Al-
for a BRIAR THORN grown into a hoop, creep though most fires on this night have con-
through it THREE times in the name of the sisted of leaf piles or rubbish, the arson has
devil, cut it in silence and go to bed with it also consumed both abandoned and inhab-
under her pillow. In one Irish Halloween cus- ited buildings. After 1994 (when 182 fires
tom a girl sets a table with food in the name were lit), Detroit mayor Dennis Archer
of the devil, and the FETCH of her future hus- launched a campaign to promote awareness
band will come through the window to eat. and to enlist thousands of volunteers; as part
On Halloween (or any of the “three of the campaign, October 30th was re-chris-
spirit nights”) the devil, in the shape of a pig, tened “Angels’ Night.” The city also razed
a SOW, a horse, or a dog, prevented people vacant buildings, towed abandoned cars, and
from getting over STILES; or, in the guise of removed 190,000 discarded tires to keep
an old woman spinning or carding wool, he them from serving as fuel. The efforts were
frequented lonely spots and scared people successful, since Detroit reported only 41
away. fires in 1995, and arson levels have remained
The devil has also provided one of the low since (despite fears in the late 2000s that
most popular costumes throughout Hal- the economic downturn and the increasing
loween’s history. A 1908 magazine article numbers of abandoned structures would lead
suggests this simple Halloween costume: to a return of Devil’s Night). In 1996 Devil’s
“This [devil’s] suit, by the way, was a pair of Night made history, and it wasn’t for the de-
black riding tights, a black jersey, black struction that the night annually incurs: Rep-
gloves, and a fitted hood of black lining made resentatives of six southwest Detroit gangs
for the occasion with protruding horns.” In agreed to a three-day Halloween season truce
the 21st century, there are a literally dozens of and pledged to help stop Devil’s Night ar-
variant devil costumes commercially pro- sonists.
duced for Halloween, including those tai- Fires have not been a problem only in
lored for men, women, and children, fright- Detroit, however: In Camden, New Jersey,
ening creations with MASKS that feature 133 fires were reported in 1991, and about
“light-up eyes,” and sexually suggestive rep- 3,000 volunteers were enlisted to fight “MIS-
resentations (i.e., “Flirty Devil,” “Sexy CHIEF NIGHT” thereafter.
Devil,” etc.). Devil’s Night has also been known by a
The devil also provided the inspiration variety of other names, including Mischief
for several of the most popular American Night, BEGGAR’S NIGHT, GOOSEY NIGHT, CAB-
Halloween FOOD items, including deviled BAGE NIGHT, Mizzy (for “mischief ”) Night,
eggs (hard-boiled eggs in which the yolks are Mat (for “mad”) Night, and Damage Night.
combined with mustard, vinegar, mayon-
Días de los Muertos see Days of the Dead
naise, and spices) and devil’s food (or choco-
late) CAKE. Dies Irae (Lat., “Day of wrath”)—The open-
ing words, and hence the name, of the se-
Devil’s Night— October 30, principally in quence in the Mass for the Dead in the West-
the Midwestern American city of Detroit. ern Church. It is now thought to go back to
Devil’s Night is notorious for its arson; at its a rhymed prayer of late twelfth century
worst (1984), 297 fires were started in one Benedictine origin. The first printed Missal
night. The arson on Devil’s Night began in containing it as the sequence for Requiem
earnest in 1983 (probably for a combination Masses is that of Venice, 1485. Until 1969 its
of reasons, including racial tensions and use was obligatory in Masses on ALL SOULS’
urban decay); fires burned throughout a DAY, on the day of decease or burial of the
three-day period, including the last two days person for whom the Mass was offered, and
Digging 68

on the anniversary of the death, though it Good God), who has fallen in love with a girl
could be omitted on other days. It may now who has visited him in his sleep, and now his
also be omitted in all Masses of the Dead. pining for her has made him ill. Angus dis-
“Dies Irae” was adapted for use in Re- covers the girl is Caer Ibormeith; Angus goes
quiem Masses by the addition of the last six with Bodb, another supernatural being, to
lines: Loch Bel Dracon, where he has heard she will
be at Samhain. Upon arriving, Angus finds
That day is one of weeping,
on which shall rise again from the ashes
her chained with 150 other girls; he sends
the guilty man, to be judged. Ailell, king of Connacht, to Caer’s father.
Therefore spare this one, O God, Ailell returns to Angus and tells him that
merciful Lord Jesus: Caer must be chained because her magic is
Give them rest. Amen. more powerful than her father’s: She is in
bird form one year and human form the
Digging— In some areas of continental Eu-
next. Ailell tells Angus that Caer and the
rope, one SUPERSTITION held that it was bad
other girls will take on bird form at the com-
luck to dig on Halloween, especially should
ing of Samhain; sure enough, Angus sees 150
one encounter human remains; the remedy
swans at the lake as Samhain starts. Angus
was to immediately sow grain, which would
changes himself into a swan and, together
bring saints to bless the field the following
with Caer, they fly THREE times around the
day.
loch, then set out for his palace, chanting
Dinner— In an American FORTUNE-TELLING music that puts everyone to sleep for three
custom, a number of girls prepare a dinner, days and three nights.
set a table, then stand behind the chairs,
Dreaming Stones— A FORTUNE-TELLING
confident that their future husbands will
method still popular with modern WICCA
come and sit in the chairs in front of them.
practitioners. On Halloween night, to seek a
Disguises see Costumes; Masks solution to a problem, go to a boundary
stream and, with closed eyes, take from the
Divination see Anthropomancy; Fortune- WATER three stones between the middle
Telling finger and thumb, saying these words as each
Dough— In one FORTUNE-TELLING tradition, is gathered:
WATER and meal was first used to make a
I will lift the stone
dough, then young men wrote the names of As Mary lifted it for her Son,
female friends on slips of paper, balled them For substance, virtue, and strength;
up in the dough, and dropped them into a May this stone be in my hand
basin of water. As the balls melted apart, the Till I reach my journey’s end.
names were revealed, with the first to become
These THREE stones are carried home and
visible designating the young man’s true love
placed under the pillow, and DREAMS that will
(this tradition could also be performed by
give guidance are asked for; the stones will
young ladies to learn of their future hus-
provide such dreams.
bands).
Doughnuts— A popular treat in American Dreams— Dreams on Halloween could be
Halloween celebrations until recently (usu- prophetic; an American belief is that to
ally served with apple cider). dream of someone on Halloween night
means you will marry that person, but usu-
Dream of Angus (Aislinge Oenguso)— One ally other items, such as NUTS or a sliver of
of the loveliest of the CELTS’ SAMHAIN leg- WOOD in a glass of WATER, were employed to
ends. It tells of Angus, son of the Dagda (the invoke dreaming. One simple FORTUNE-
 69 Dumb Cake

TELLING custom consisted of writing the of the hill, and the next morning made pre-
names of three sweethearts on slips of paper dictions that came true.
and placing these beneath the pillow. A In the Scottish Highlands, the master of
dream of one of those named meant that per- ceremonies at Halloween parties was nearly
son cared for you; if that name was also on always in the COSTUME of a Druid.
the first slip drawn from beneath the pillow
Ducking for Apples see Bobbing for Ap-
in the morning, that person would be the fu-
ples
ture spouse.
Some Halloween customs were de- Ducks— In Buckhinghamshire, a popular
signed to provoke dreams. In a Pennsylvan- rhyme once indicated that ducks at Hal-
ian tradition, prophetic dreams could be loween could be used to indicate the
guaranteed by going out of the front door WEATHER for the rest of the year:
BACKWARDS on Halloween night, picking up
some dust or grass, wrapping it in paper, and “If ducks do slide at Hollantide,
At Christmas they will swim.
placing it under the pillow.
If ducks do swim at Hollantide,
See also APPLES; COLCANNON; EGGS; ROSE- At Christmas they will slide.”
MARY; SAGE; YEW
Dumb Cake— Any CAKE made in complete
Druids—Members of the CELTS’ priest caste. silence, for purposes of FORTUNE-TELLING,
The name “Druid” has been erroneously and most effective on Halloween, St. John’s
thought to mean “knowledge of the oak” or Eve (MIDSUMMER EVE) and CHRISTMAS, but
possibly “deep knowledge”; many eighteenth might also occur on ST. AGNES’ EVE (Janu-
and nineteenth century historians misinter- ary 21), St. Valentine (February 14) and St.
preted history to fit their idea of the “noble Mark (April 25). The ritual usually calls for
savage” or “natural religion.” Druids be- a number of women to participate, and must
longed to the social elite and had control over begin in the kitchen. The recipe for the Hal-
festivals and all sacrifices (such as those loween dumb-cake was sometimes given as
probably performed at SAMHAIN), gave rul- an eggshell-full of SALT, an eggshell-full of
ings on all religious questions, acted as judges wheat and an eggshell-full of barley meal; the
in criminal cases, and arbitrators in disputes dough must be prepared without spring
over land and legacies. Druids could enforce WATER. The dough is spread thin, and then
judgments by banning individuals from at- each woman present marks her initials in the
tending rituals and sacrifices, which was es- cake with a new pin. The cake is then set to
sentially a form of excommunication. Druid bake, and each person in the room sits as far
students were said to have spent 20 years from the fire (or oven) as possible. Each per-
studying, committing everything to mem- son must turn the cake once, and all of this
ory. Caesar thought, “the doctrine of the must be done between the hours of 11 and
Druids was invented in Britain,” and then MIDNIGHT, in complete silence. As the clock
brought to Gaul on the continent; it is there- strikes 12, the husband of the woman who is
fore possible that Druids originated in Ire- to be married first enters, and lays his hand
land, and that their leaders were located there. on the piece of cake with her initials. The rit-
Druids figure prominently in a number ual varied when performed on other days,
of Celtic Samhain myths. In one story Dathi, and quite often involved exactly THREE girls
king of Ireland in the fifth century, happened in the preparation of the dumb-cake.
to be at the Druids’ Hill (Noc-nan-druad) in A slightly different version of the ritual
the county of Sligo one Halloween; he or- begins by stating that the women must meet
dered his Druid to forecast the future for the between the hours of 10 and 11, in the
next year. The Druid passed the night on top kitchen, on Halloween night. Each places a
Dumb Suppers 70

handful of wheat flour onto a sheet of white walk BACKWARDS to their beds after eating the
paper and sprinkles it over with as much salt cake. In a particularly unsettling variation,
as she can hold between her finger and after baking the cake girls removed all pins
thumb; then one of the party must make it and unfastened their clothes before heading
into a dough, being careful not to use spring upstairs for their beds; en route, apparitions
water. Each young lady must then roll up a of their future husbands would try to snatch
portion of the dough, spread it out thin and at them, and they could only escape by wrig-
flat, and mark her initials with a new pin. gling out of their clothing.
Now the cakes were placed before the fire, In an 1870 description of a party thrown
and the women were seated as far from it as by an English family in America, Helen Elliott
possible. This must all be done before 11 P.M., (in “Hallowe’en,” from Godey’s Lady’s Book
and between that time and midnight each and Magazine, November 1870) describes a
must turn her cake once. When the clock variant called a “fate cake”: One eggshell full
struck 12 the future husband of the woman of butter, one of sugar, and one of flour were
who was to be married first would enter and mixed together and baked, with all the par-
lay his hand upon the cake marked with her ticipants remaining absolutely silent. When
name. Throughout the whole proceeding, of the cake was done, each girl took a small
course, not a word was to be spoken. piece and made a wish.
One variant suggested that the dough
must be kneaded for 15 minutes with the left Dumb Suppers— American (Appalachian)
thumb only; to do so with the right thumb Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING custom in
(or to speak) would bring misfortune. In an- which girls sat at a table in silence where a
other variation, a couple whose initials were chair was left vacant for the FETCH of a lover
plainly visible after the cakes had been baked to occupy. In Maryland, this game — which
was destined to marry within the year. was there called a “silent supper”— required
In some versions of the dumb cake rit- the young ladies to stand silently behind a
ual the cake must be eaten to know future chair and wait to see if it would be occupied
partners, and in one case participants must by their future husband.

E
Each Uisg—Each uisg is a Scottish phrase WATER, and although her companions tried
meaning “water horse,” and is also the title of to dissuade her, she went to the loch. They
a Scottish Halloween GHOST STORY. The each soon heard her terrified shriek, and in the
uisg was a demon that took the form of a morning found only shreds of her clothing
huge black HORSE living within Loch Dorch; and the imprint of a hoof in the clay bank of
travelers who were caught by the water’s the loch.
edge at night were occasionally seized by the
demon, dragged to the bottom of the lake, Earrings—An American SUPERSTITION is that
and devoured. One Halloween at the house earrings shouldn’t be worn on Halloween (or
of Duncan the weaver, Duncan’s daughter on the Fourth of July); to do so will result in
Catriana decided to try the old FORTUNE- a loss of hearing.
TELLING method of dipping her sleeve in
 71 Eggs

Edin-Da-Hin-Veaul—Edin-da-hin-Veaul is An American method of divination

a Gaelic proverb meaning “the jeopardy of from Maryland involved a FETCH: On Hal-
Baal”; it refers to the ritual of passing be- loween, if a girl fried an egg on the stove, her
tween two fires (on SAMHAIN or BELTANE) as future husband would appear to turn the
a method of purification or consecration (the egg. A custom from New Brunswick seemed
proverb, however, has a similar meaning to to replace an APPLE with a hard-boiled egg:
“caught between the Scylla and Charybdis,” The egg was eaten without SALT before a MIR-
meaning to find oneself in a difficult situa- ROR on Halloween to see the face of a future
tion). spouse (this divination was also sometimes
performed as the young lady walked BACK-
Eggs— A classic symbol of fertility, eggs WARDS up stairs).
figure prominently in several Halloween In an Irish Halloween practice, women
FORTUNE-TELLING methods. The most popu- removed the yolk from hard-boiled eggs,
lar involve eggs and WATER. For example: filled the eggs with salt, and ate egg, shell and
THREE drops of egg white are allowed to fall salt completely; if they avoided drinking
into a glass of water, and the resulting shapes water until morning, they would be re-
are read for initials or other signs, or the warded with dreams of their future hus-
droplets suggest how many children a per- bands.
son will have. This method was often con- In one American Halloween folk belief,
ducted for children who wanted to know if an egg placed in front of the fire by a young
how many siblings were still to come. A Scot- woman in love is seen to sweat blood, it is a
tish version specified that the first-laid egg sign that she will succeed in getting the man
of a pullet was preferred, and that clear she loves. Another version of this story stated
spring water must be used. After a few drops that a CAT would come in to turn the egg as
of egg were allowed to fall into the glass, the it roasted by the fire, followed by the man
questioner placed his or her hand over the who would become the girl’s husband. If the
top of the glass for about a minute, giving unfortunate young lady was fated to die
the egg in the water time to form into in- unwed, the shadow of a COFFIN would ap-
triguing shapes. Another Scottish divination pear.
involved taking a mouthful of the egg and
water, and going out for a
walk; the first name heard
would be that of one’s future
intended. In Highland Super-
stitions, Alexander Macgregor
describes a Halloween party in
which a young man’s egg
whites take on the appearance
of a winding-sheet with a rent
in it, indicating an early, vio-
lent death. Macgregor suggests
that the young man became so
disturbed over this prognosti-
cation that he drank heavily
and eventually became a beg-
gar who finally committed sui-
cide by drinking a vial of lau- This ¡9¡¡ postcard shows a woman performing a divination
danum. with eggs.
Egyptian Feast of the Dead 72

Egyptian Feast of the Dead— The Egyptian the night. In Osiris’s sacred city (Abydos),
Feast of the Dead is one of the earliest known an eight-act drama was performed which
festivals commemorating the dead, and is portrayed Osiris’s life, death, and his resur-
sometimes thought to be the oldest ancestor rection (similar PAGEANTS were presented at
of Halloween (in his fictionalized history of other major cities as well).
Halloween, The Halloween Tree, RAY BRAD- According to Plutarch, the festival
BURY begins with the Egyptians and calls their lasted four days and was also a general com-
Feast of the Dead “TRICK OR TREAT old style”). memoration of the dead (Osiris was the king
The festival was held on the seventeenth and judge of the dead). The spirits of dead
of Athyr (about mid–November) and ancestors were guided home by the lights
marked the day on which Set (sometimes (also a feature of the Japanese BON FESTIVAL,
known as Typhon), who envied the happi- the Chinese YUE LAAN, and, in some areas,
ness of his brother Osiris and the goddess ALL SAINTS’ DAY and ALL SOULS’ DAY cele-
Isis, slew his brother, cut him into 14 pieces brations), and were honored with feasting.
and scattered the pieces far and wide (al- The festival ended on a joyous note, as mum-
though in another version Set or Typhon mers and priests re-enacted the resurrection
locked his brother in a sarcophagus which of the murdered god by Isis, who afterwards
was placed in the sea). On this day, when the gave birth to their son Horus. The dead body
powers of good—like the yearly fiood waters of Osiris is sometimes depicted with CORN
of the Nile — were in decline, no Egyptian sprouting from it, suggesting that — like the
would undertake a new enterprise; a venture CELTS’ SAMHAIN— the Feast of the Dead also
down the Nile would surely lead to a croco- served as a celebration of the crops and a fer-
dile attack. To begin a journey would mean tility rite for the next season.
never to return.
Exercises— A form of RECITATION involving
Osiris was said to be very popular with
not just one child but many children, all per-
the common people, and so his festival was
forming in rhyme, often in a form of geo-
mournful (people lamented over a buried
metric progression where each new child
idol of Osiris, and priests beat their breasts
adds a line to those already spoken. Exercises
out of grief ), but these days were also cele-
were popular in school PAGEANTS at Hal-
brated with festive lighting. Oil-lamps were
loween in the 1930s.
lit outside of houses and burned throughout

F
Fairies (also faeries)— Also known as “the erally small, who feature prominently in
good people,” “the people of peace,” “the still Irish mythology, often instigating mischief
folk,” “the silently-moving people,” “the wee or malice on Halloween.
people,” “the little folk,” “the gentle folk,” Usually fairies were believed to be a race
Daoine Coire (“honest folk”), Daoine Matha of supernatural beings completely separate
(“good people”), PIXIES, piskies, tylweth teg from humanity; some sociologists have sug-
(Welsh), POOKA, “fair family,” corrigans (ko- gested that fairies are actually the last rem-
rrigans), sidhe or sith (pronounced “shee”), nants of the ancient Celtic gods and god-
daoine sidhe, “the gentry,” and “Tiddy Peo- desses, literally and metaphorically reduced
ple.” Fairies are supernatural entities, gen- in stature by the rise of Christianity. Another
 73 Fairies

theory once popular was that fairies were the them he sees neighbors who have died,
mythologized remnants of an actual pygmy sometimes many years before. When the
race which once inhabited parts of Britain fairies know that the young man has seen
and Ireland; this theory goes so far as to sug- through them, they circle him and, shrieking
gest that the pygmies were a Stone Age peo- with laughter, try to force him to dance. He
ple who feared and envied IRON weapons, resists until he falls senseless, and awakens
hence the use of iron as a protective element the next morning in a stone circle, his arms
against fairies and evil forces. This theory, badly bruised from the grasp of fairy hands.
however, has been largely dismissed, since it Fairy rings (common throughout the
lacks any real proof or evidence. Some be- British Isles, and actually caused by a fun-
lieve that God made fairies on the third day gus) were the subject of many SUPERSTITIONS;
of Creation, out of earth, air and water, but stepping into a fairy ring after sunset on Hal-
He did not give them souls. Another belief is loween was particularly dangerous. A Scot-
that at the time of Lucifer’s rebellion some tish poem warns:
angels sided with Lucifer and were cast into
hell, where they became demons, others re- He wha tills the fairy green
mained true to God, and stayed in heaven, Nae luck again shall hae,
An’ he wha spills the fairy-ring
and the indifferent ones, who failed to take Betide him want and wae;
sides, were cast out and condemned to dwell For weirdless days and weary nichts
on earth as fairies until Judgment Day, when Are his till his deein’ day.
they will be annihilated (hence, their envy of
human beings). In one tale, Finvarra, chief of On Halloween all the fairy hills (or sidh-
the fairies, sought out St. Columkille (or mounds, or raths) were thrown wide open
COLUM KILL), the first Celtic missionary, to and the fairies would swarm forth. The spell
beg him to intercede for the fairies and give of fe-fiada (invisibility) that was placed on
them hope of salvation, but the saint told the hills by the DRUIDS was lifted on this one
them this was impossible and that the fairy day, and any man who was bold enough
people were doomed to extinction. Many of might then peep into the open green mounds
the fairy epithets such as “the good people” or and see treasures hidden within the brugh,
“the still folk” come from a belief that to or interior of the fairy dwelling. In a note to
mention the fairies by name was to invoke Lady of the Lake, SIR WALTER SCOTT mentions
them, whereas calling them by something a method of gaining entrance to a fairy
derogatory might well provoke them. mound on Halloween: The seeker must go
A variation on a traditional Scottish alone round the hill NINE times toward the
rhyme seems to cross fairies with WITCHES: left (sinistrorsum), and then a door will be
opened into the subterranean realm; how-
Heigh Ho for Hallowe’en, ever, there can be no return to the mortal
When the fairies a’ are seen,
Some black and some green,
world.
Heigh Ho for Hallowe’en! One Irish belief is that you can’t refuse
what a fairy asks of you on Halloween. An-
In a few areas fairies were even thought to other is that fairies make anything left un-
be the spirits of the dead. In a traditional tale harvested after November Eve unfit to eat;
usually called “November Eve,” a young man anyone who dares to eat unharvested grains
who has foolishly stayed out late on Hal- or berries will become seriously ill. Some
loween is swept up in a band of fairies, where early twentieth-century Irish suggested that
he meets Finvarra the Fairy King and Oonagh the Potato Famine of the 1840s— which
his queen. They give him fairy gold and caused so many Irish to flee to America,
wine, but when he looks steadily at any of bringing their Halloween traditions to the
Fairies 74

new country — was caused by fighting in the in elfinland. However, yet another folk be-
fairy world (likewise, a common Scottish be- lief is that to rescue a wife or baby stolen by
lief was that fairies often battled on Hal- fairies, a man first had to obtain from some
loween). fairy doctor or wise woman a special oint-
Bad fairies in Scotland were called ment that was rubbed on his eyes to enable
“wicked wichts” and were always said to in- the seeing of fairies. Then he must stand at a
flict skaith or damage; wichts might steal CROSSROADS on Halloween and wait for the
wives or babies, for example. In Minstrelsy fairy troop to pass by; their approach would
of the Scottish Border, Sir Walter Scott records be heralded by a gust of WIND. As the fairies
the tale of a Lothian farmer whose wife was passed, the watcher threw on them a handful
snatched by fairies. A good fairy appeared to of dust from the road or a splash of milk
the husband and told him how to rescue his from a jug, and the fairies were then obliged
wife come next Hallow Eve, but when the to surrender any human being whom they
time came the ringing of the fairy bridles so had bewitched or stolen.
confused the hapless farmer that the proces- Fairies had three great festivals: May
sion passed before he could snatch his wife Eve, MIDSUMMER’S EVE and NOVEMBER EVE;
back, and she was lost to him forever. Fairies one bit of folklore states that on November
spiriting off mortals on Halloween is a com- Eve they danced with GHOSTS. It was danger-
mon theme; often those so taken never re- ous to see fairies at their revels on Halloween,
turn. One Irish man was luckier: He claimed as is clearly demonstrated in this tale from
to be taken by Halloween fairies to America, the Ferintosh district of the Highlands (or
where he was shown both his daughter and the Slope of Big Stones in Harris): Two
his friend. Other fairy legends claimed that young men were coming home after dark on
spouses who had been abducted and taken Halloween, each with a jar of whisky on his
to fairyland might be recovered within a year back, when they saw a house all lit up by the
and a day when the procession of the fairies roadside, with the sounds of MUSIC and danc-
was filing past on Halloween, provided the ing coming from within. Since there had
mortals had not partaken of elfin food while never been a house there before, the house
was actually a fairy
mound, full of fairies, and
visible only on Hal-
loween. One of the young
men entered and joined
the dance, the other took
the precaution of sticking
a NEEDLE in the door; that
disarmed the power of the
fairies. He got out safely,
but his friend did not.
One year later, he came
back and saw his friend
still dancing. When they
finished and took him out
into open air, nothing was
left but skin and bones.
Somewhat similar,
An ¡886 illustration from Harper’s Young People, entitled “A Hal- but with a different set of
loween Vision,” showing an encounter with fairies. morals, is the story of
 75 Fairies

Paddy More, a tall, rude fellow, and his restores the girl’s voice. They head to Dublin
hunchbacked-but-happy friend Paddy Beg. to find her family, and finally Jamie is re-
One Halloween they came upon a fairy warded with her hand in marriage and great
mound full of light and music, and Paddy wealth.
Beg was invited in. Paddy joined in the fes- Compare this to the humorous tale of
tivities, telling stories, dancing and singing, “Peter Malone,” who rides with the fairies
and the fairies rewarded him by removing on Halloween to Spain, where they follow a
his hump. The following Halloween Paddy funeral to a church and the fairies persuade
More stumbled on the mound, and was also Malone to lift the church offerings. Upon re-
asked in. After he refused to take part in the turn to his home, Malone is anticipating
merrymaking, the fairies stuck Paddy Beg’s showing his wife his rich pocketful of money,
hump on his back and sent him home. but discovers instead a pocketful of horse
Sometimes valuable information may dung.
be obtained from fairies on Halloween, for Irish Halloween stories of chance meet-
those bold enough to attempt such a risky ings with fairies often involve storms; either
feat. One young man named GULEESH from a fairy has lost her way in a violent storm and
the County of Mayo went to a rath or old stumbles into a human dwelling, or a way-
fort near his house one Halloween, and stood ward human encounters a fairy who offers
on a gray old flag. He waited hours, and the assistance in reaching home. However, in
fairies arrived. Guleesh listened, and heard Fermanagh no one took a short cut on the
one fairy saying to another that a magic herb eve lest the fairies would lead him or her
grew by Guleesh’s own door, and that if astray.
Guleesh plucked and boiled it and gave it to In a few stories fairies become the lovers
his sweetheart, the daughter of the King of of mortals. Every SAMHAIN a female fairy vis-
France, she would recover from severe ill- ited Fingin Mac Luchta, king of South Mun-
ness. He did, and they wed and lived happily ster in the second century, and brought him
after ever. to the sidhs to see their treasures and gather
A variation of this tale is found in information; a fairy thus attached to a
“Jamie Freel and the Young Lady,” in which human was called a lennan-shee.
a diligent young man who works hard to Sometimes stories about fairies also
support his widowed mother decides to in- specify HARVEST day as a special time. In
vestigate a nearby ruined castle which seems “Paddy Corcoran’s Wife,” Kitty Corcoran lies
to be haunted every Halloween. He ap- mysteriously ill for seven years until, on a
proaches the fairy revels, and is invited to harvest day, a fairy in a RED cloak appears to
join. He takes a fairy steed to a distant city, her and tells her that the fairies have made
where a beautiful maiden is kidnapped (the her ill because she threw out her dirty water
fairies place a stick in her bed, and the stick every sunrise and sunset just as the fairies
takes on her likeness). Jamie tricks the fairies were passing by her door. Once she stops
on the ride home, and manages to take the these practices, she becomes well and is
girl home with him (as in TAM LIN, the fairy healthy thereafter.
people try to trick Jamie by changing the girl In some areas of Scotland it was be-
into a variety of strange forms). The fairies lieved that the last handful of corn reaped
strike her dumb, and she lives for a year like should be dressed up as a Harvest Maiden,
that, helping out Jamie and his mother. At or Maighdean Bhuan (see CORN DOLLY), and
the next Halloween, Jamie returns to the cas- hung up in the farmer’s house to keep the
tle, and overhears a fairy saying that the girl fairies out until the next harvest.
could be cured with THREE drops of the liq- Sometimes plates of CHAMP or COLCAN-
uid in her glass. Jamie steals the glass, and NON would be left out for the fairies on Hal-
Falling Star 76

loween night; an American belief mentions festival of PARENTALIA (which Ovid refers to
leprechauns instead of fairies, and suggests as the “Season of All Souls”). Most of what we
that on Halloween night a bowl of boiled and know of Feralia comes from Book Two of
peeled potatoes should be left out for the lep- Ovid’s Fasti, which begins the listing for Feb-
rechauns. See also BANSHEES; CAILLEACH; ruary 21 with these points:
BROWNIES; GOBLINS; LUNANTISHEES; POOKA.
Tombs get tribute too. Appease your ances-
Fairy Light see Will o’ the Wisp tral spirits
And bring small gifts to the pyres you’ve
Falling Star—One American SUPERSTITION is built.
that to see a falling star on Halloween night The dead make small demands…
means your sweetheart is a witch.
Ovid goes on to describe what happened
Families— In many areas of Europe, Hal- when Aeneas neglected his duties during the
loween is celebrated by family gatherings, season:
while sociologists note that in America Hal- …They say the resentful ancestors
loween often inverts social ideas of family, left their tombs, in the dead of night,
by empowering children over parents. In The and howled through the streets of city and
Hallowed Eve: Dimensions of a Calendar Fes- countryside…
tival in Northern Ireland, folklorist and Hal-
loween expert JACK SANTINO says, “Hal- During Feralia Romans stayed inside their
loween is a great family festival in Northern homes, all sanctuaries were closed, all cere-
Ireland,” and notes that “the more intensive, mony in temples was suspended, and mar-
peer-oriented, outdoor activities [such as riages were especially warned against. The
RHYMING and gathering material for BON-
only sacrifices made at this time were to the
FIRES] precede Halloween, while the family
gods of the dead and to the dead themselves.
gatherings, meal, FIREWORKS, and bonfire all Mourners went to family tombs outside the
take place on Halloween itself.” Similar cel- cities and performed sacra privata; offerings
ebrations such as the Japanese BON FESTIVAL included (according to Ovid) “a tile wreathed
and the Mexican DAYS OF THE DEAD also em- with votive garlands, a sprinkling of CORN, a
phasize family gatherings. few grains of SALT, BREAD soaked in wine, and
some loose violets.” Ovid describes a spell
Fawkes, Guy see Guy Fawkes Day/Night which an old hag casts on Feralia — she per-
formed a witchcraft ritual to bind “hostile
Feanloe Night—Lancashire name for the eve
tongues and unfriendly mouths.” Concern-
of ALL SOULS’ DAY, celebrated by lighting
ing the origin of the name, Ovid tells us,
BONFIRES.
“They called this day Feralia because they do
Feathers— In one Halloween FORTUNE- what’s fair.” The next day (February 22) was
TELLING custom, three soft, fluffy feathers called Cara Cognatio, or Caristia (Ovid men-
each have a small slip of paper glued to the tions that “caring kin have named the next
bottom, one reading “blonde,” one day Caristia”), and was a time of offering
“brunette,” and one “medium.” Each feather prayer to the gods, feasting and FAMILY gath-
is then held up by the top and blown into the erings. The feast celebrated on Caristia con-
air; the paper landing the closest denotes the tinued to be celebrated into Christian times,
hair color of your true love. To be sure, the and was converted by the Catholic Church
test should be conducted THREE times. into the feast of St. Peter, held on February 22
until at least the twelfth century.
Feralia— The first of the Roman festivals of
the dead (the oldest, LEMURIA, is held in Festival of the Radunitsa— A Russian com-
mid–May), and closely linked to the great memoration of the dead held on the tenth
 77 Finn MacCumal

day after Easter Sunday. Like certain ALL Fields— A number of Halloween FORTUNE-
SOULS’ DAY CELEBRATIONS, drinks were TELLING customs (including those involving
poured on graves, there was feasting and of- HEMP SEED and CABBAGE) involve visiting a
fering FOOD to the dead spirits, and panikhida field after dark on Halloween night. One of
was sung in honor of the departed “Fathers.” the most unusual comes from Ross-shire:
The fortune seeker would steal out unseen
Festival of the Unforgotten Dead see Yue
after dark to a field in which the furrows lay
Laan
due north and south, and enter from the west
Fetch— The spectre of someone who is not side. He or she would then proceed slowly
yet dead (as compared to WRAITH, which can over 11 ridges, and stand in the center of the
refer to the soul of one either living or dead); twelfth. There they would hear low sobs and
fetches figure prominently in many Hal- faint shrieks, signifying an early death, or
loween FORTUNE-TELLING customs and sto- MUSIC and dancing, foretelling marriage.
ries, including those involving APPLES, BARLEY, This custom was thought to be more dan-
DUMB CAKE, EGGS, HEMP SEED, MIRRORS, RAKES, gerous than most, since sometimes fortune-
WATER and YARN. seekers supposedly returned from the field
One traditional Scottish tale of a fetch mad, or simply did not return at all.
also involves the Scottish NEW YEAR’S cele-
bration of HOGMANAY: “The Man Who Films see Burton, Tim; Carpenter, John;
Missed the Tay Bridge Train” tells of two best and Appendix II
friends, Rab and Tam, who are born at ex- Finados—DAY OF THE DEAD celebration
actly the same time and grow up together, found in a number of South American coun-
and are never apart until the day one must tries, including Brazil and Ecuador. Although
return home from university to look after the full name is Dia de Finados (or Dia de Di-
the family business and the other goes back funtos), the holiday—celebrated on Novem-
to school. They agree to meet again when ber 2nd — is typically referred to simply as
Tam returns home for Hogmanay (which Finados. As with Mexican Day of the Dead
was so beloved by the Scots that even Charles festivities, Finados is celebrated with special
II couldn’t replace it with CHRISTMAS). As the foods and drinks, exchanges with neighbors,
school-break arrives, Tam heads out for the and visits to cemeteries to clean and deco-
train, but there’s a terrible storm brewing; rate the graves of loved ones.
then, to his surprise, he encounters Rab, who
tells him not to take that evening’s train. Tam Finn MacCumal (also Fionn, Finn Mac-
agrees, and returns to his school lodging; the Cool)— Legendary hero of the CELTS who is
next morning he discovers that the Tay at the center of several SAMHAIN tales, most
Bridge was destroyed by the storm, and all notably one in which he slays the malicious
aboard the train had been killed. When Tam Aillen:
finally makes his long way back home, he’s Every year at Samhain time, for many
surprised to learn that Rab has been very sick years, a man of the Tuatha de Danaan came
for the last two weeks, and hasn’t left his bed, out of Sidhe Finnachaidh in the north and
although he does vaguely remember trying burned down Tara, the ancient seat of the
to warn Tam about a disaster. They realize Irish kings. He was Aillen, son of Midhna;
then that Tam encountered Rab’s fetch. he came playing MUSIC of the Sidhe (the Oth-
The word “fetch” seems to appear only in erworld), and all the people who heard it fell
Ireland, and in some areas it was believed that asleep. Aillen then opened his mouth and
the time of the fetch’s arrival meant either breathed out ferocious flames that burned
happy longevity (if seen in the morning) or Tara to the ground. Finn, who was told of
immediate death (if seen in the evening). the approaching disaster upon a visit to Tara,
Fire 78

sought a weapon and was given a magical (“Teen low” is undoubtedly a variant
spear, which he used to kill Aillen; Finn was of teanlas, referring to a Halloween bonfire)
rewarded with the headship of the Fianna In the Northern Counties of England, a
clan. Halloween custom consisted of whirling a
lighted brand before the face and singing this
Fire—Fire (especially BONFIRES) is associated
couplet:
throughout Europe with many festival days,
including all of the QUARTER DAYS, the sol- “Dingle, dingle, dowsie, the cat’s in the
stices and the equinoxes; however, fire seems well;
The dog’s awa’ to Berwick, to buy a new
to have a particularly strong association with
bell.”
the history of Halloween. This association
dates back to the Celtic SAMHAIN, when each The last sparks of the fire were ob-
family was required to relight the home served; many indicated money, but a quick
hearth with embers from a fire kindled by extinction meant loss of property.
the DRUIDS (and pay a tax in the process). Bonfires and FIREWORKS are also an im-
Folklorists and historians have put forth portant part of GUY FAWKES celebrations, and
several theories on the importance of fires fire (in candles) is a key element of decora-
during holidays; Halloween authors often tion in DAY OF THE DEAD.
point to the holiday’s bonfires as represent- See also CANDLES; COEL COETH; EDIN-
ing the dying of the sun that occurs each win- DA-HIN-VEAUL; FIRE O’ LOVE; HEARTH.
ter. In his classic study The Golden Bough,
Fire O’ Love—A popular eighteenth-century
SIR JAMES FRAZER offers two possibilities: The
form of FORTUNE-TELLING often practiced at
“solar theory” (fire is a charm used to ensure
Halloween gatherings. Each person present
the continued good benefits of the sun), and
writes her or his name on a piece of paper,
the “purification theory” (fire provides a
twists it closed and then tosses it into a tub
magical means of purifying crops, cattle,
of WATER. A lit CANDLE end, attached to a flat
etc.); Fraser leans toward the purification
cork, is placed in the water, where it comes
theory, but also suggests that the two theories
into contact with the slips, burning them.
need not be mutually exclusive. Halloween
When the candle end sputters and dies, the
fires have taken the form of bonfires, fires lit
unburned slips are removed, revealing the
to frighten away WITCHES, decorations (in-
names of those who will never marry.
side, for example, JACK-O’-LANTERNS), and
flames used in FORTUNE-TELLING. In the Fireplace see Hearth
Northern Counties of England, it was be-
Fireworks— Although fireworks have virtu-
lieved to be unlucky to let the fire die on Hal-
ally no association with the American Hal-
loween night (the same held true for NEW
loween, they are still a popular component
YEAR’S Eve, MIDSUMMER’S EVE, and CHRIST-
of Irish Halloween CELEBRATIONS, despite the
MAS Eve).
fact that all kinds of explosives were banned
An early custom recorded in Devon and
there in the 1970s. Fireworks may be either
other areas of the west of England involved
large community events or small “back-gar-
begging fire from the wealthy on Halloween
den” displays; civic displays usually include
(the fire was usually offered with a small gift
additional entertainment such as PAN-
of money).
TOMIMES put on by children, many with light
In ancient Lancashire, the head of each
horror themes. Large-scale fireworks displays
family would carry of bundle of burning
are still very popular in GUY FAWKES NIGHT
straw around his fields, proclaiming:
celebrations, and are even used in certain
“Fire and red low DAY OF THE DEAD festivals.
Light on my teen low.” On Mischief Night in England (No-
 79 Folk Art

description of a Halloween BONFIRE party for

boys also mentions flour used against one
young man who was dressed as the DEVIL:
“The only revenge for this was now and then
a thrust from one rebellious spirit who had
come provided with an old stocking full of
flour which when beaten against the black
monster left undignified white streaks upon
his sleek well fitting suit.”

Flowers— In a French custom, children beg

flowers from neighbors to decorate on ALL
SAINTS’ DAY. See also ROSES.
These Fourth of July fireworks would look Folk Art— Although the definition of “folk
more appropriate on Halloween. art” itself is somewhat open (folk art has
been described as everything from “non-aca-
vember 4), fireworks were also popular in demic” and “outsider” to “child art on an
PRANKING. A group of three or four “bangers”
adult level”), folk art is undeniably an im-
placed into a drainage pipe and lit was called
a “lion’s roar.”

Flour—Several Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING

customs involve aleuromancy, or divination
from flour; for example, messages written on
slips of paper were enclosed in balls of flour
paste which were distributed at random. In
another popular divination, a bowl was filled
tightly with flour, then a wedding ring was
inserted into some part of it. The bowl was
then inverted upon a dish and withdrawn,
leaving the mound of flour. Each guest cut
off a thin slice, and whoever cut off the slice
containing the ring would be married first.
One Halloween GAME consisted of
putting small COINS in a large pan of flour,
then asking guests to dig the coins out using
only their mouths (this game, of course, re-
sulted in many comically-whitened faces!).
Sometimes these two games were even
combined, so that after the flour in the first
divination had been cut, the seekers had to
root through it with their mouths to find a
token.
Flour also figured prominently in
PRANKING, as one popular custom was to fill
“Freefall,” contemporary folk art Halloween
a sock with flour and swing it at unsuspect- painting in ink and gouache by Matthew
ing Halloween passersby, leaving a large Kirscht (used with permission of Matthew
white imprint (a form of CHALKING). A 1908 Kirscht)
Food 80

portant aspect of the Halloween celebration. tions). The Bogie Books include instructions
Folklorist JACK SANTINO has noted that folk on creating everything from nut cups and
art “recognizes…the ephemeral but cyclical musical instruments to “Pumpkin Boy” table
nature of the holidays,” and suggests that decorations and large-scale house decora-
Halloween folk art is rooted in history and tions.
tradition. In the late 20th and 21st century, the ex-
Halloween folk art can be as simple as a plosion of the Internet has created new forms
single carved JACK-O’-LANTERN, but it is often and interests in folk art (and, as one folk-
more complex, especially when various ob- lorist has noted, created new forms of “folk-
jects are combined in the form of yard display speech”), and facilitated their distribution.
that Santino has called assemblage. Prior to Halloween folk art is now made and dis-
the 19th century, there is little evidence of played year-round (the CASTLE HALLOWEEN
significant Halloween folk art; the CORN MUSEUM includes a folk art section), and
DOLLY, occasionally used in Halloween fes- definitions of folk art have been further
tivities, was typically more associated with blurred by the fact that this art may now be
HARVEST. However, as the VICTORIANS began purchased through online websites such as
to celebrate Halloween in their living rooms [Link] and [Link]. Groups such as
and yards, homemade party decorations that “EHAG” (Eclectic Halloween Artists Guild)
were essentially folk art began to increase in include artist members whose works include
popularity. Although companies like Denni- dolls, candy containers, furnishings, signs,
son and Beistle were producing commercial and paintings that clearly mirror traditional
decorations that had become mainstays of folk art, and yet these artists refer to them-
Halloween RETAILING by the early 20th cen- selves as “professional,” suggesting that their
tury, home-crafted decorations were also works may no longer be truly folk art. Most
popular. A 1903 party booklet offers these of these modern folk artists—for example,
tips on decorating (which mirror the modern painter Matthew Kirscht—are clearly famil-
folk art assemblage): iar with the history of the holiday and its folk
…the lawn in front of the house should be art, and their works have become popular in
decorated with hanging lighted jack-o’- part because of nostalgia (Kirscht sells lim-
lanterns. The eyes, nose, mouth in each one ited edition reproduction postcards and
should be different and as grotesque as pos- books of his works, while his original paint-
sible. If there is a fence around the grounds, ings frequently command high prices); but
put a jack-o’-lantern on each post. Drape these artists also possess more skill and self-
black muslin above entrance to house; and, at awareness than the classic folk artist, again
center, over door, hang skull and cross- suggesting that modern lines between true
bones.
folk art and popular commercial art are blur-
Early 20th-century Halloween folk art pieces ring. However, contemporary Halloween
that have survived include hand-carved folk art is still based on the same icons found
wooden NOISEMAKERS, candy containers, and in Halloween folk art over the last century
hand-drawn invitations. The popular Den- (jack-o’-lanterns, black CATS, WITCHES), and
nison’s BOGIE BOOKS of the 1920s and 1930s embodies the “charm” and “whimsy” often
were — despite their main goal in selling cited as being key elements of folk art, as well
commercially-made Halloween products— as the vivid COLORS and traditional themes.
essentially guides to producing folk art (al-
though some collectors of folk art draw a dis- Food— As with virtually all holidays, Hal-
tinction between true folk art, produced loween has its own special foods, which serve
entirely by self-taught artists, and crafts, the holiday in different ways. However, since
which are produced from existing instruc- Halloween is one-part HARVEST celebration,
 81 Food

food has particular importance at this time COLCANNON, CROWDIE, FUARAG, LAMBSWOOL,
and serves in an unusual variety of ways: As MRASTYR, SOWENS, and STAMPY all came to be
offering for the dead, as feast for the living, associated almost exclusively with Hal-
as PARTY fixings, as decoration, in FORTUNE- loween. There were, however, virtually no
TELLING customs, in GAMES , and, most re- Halloween dishes that featured meat; this
cently, as the CANDY provided to children may be due to Irish churches having origi-
during TRICK OR TREAT. nally designated October 31 as a fast day. In
Late October marks the end of the har- America, favorite foods included apple cider,
vest, and in Europe this meant an abundance DOUGHNUTS, POPCORN, and PUMPKIN PIE.
of APPLES, NUTS, CABBAGES, PUMPKINS (in Cakes (and sometimes other food items
America) and potatoes (in Ireland). In the such as MASHED POTATOES or ice cream) were
lore of the ancient CELTS, their celebration of presented as fortune-telling games, with
SAMHAIN was marked with feasting and of- small tokens hidden inside; to receive a por-
ferings to the gods (possibly also to the dead, tion of food with a token foretold one’s fu-
although there is no archaeological evidence ture. A ring indicated marriage; a coin,
to support this). The EGYPTIAN FEAST OF THE wealth; a small china doll, children; a thim-
DEAD and the Roman FERALIA were also ble, “single blessedness”; and a sloe, long life.
marked with feasting and offerings, and it is Other foods became the agents of other
possible that part of the reason November 1 forms of prognostication: Apples, BARLEY, BAY
was set as the date for ALL SAINTS’ DAY was LEAVES, BEETS , cabbages, CORN MEAL, EGGS,
that it was easier to feed the pilgrims pour- FLOUR, HERRINGS, KALE, LEEKS, LEMONS, NUT-
ing into Rome after the harvest. MEG, NUTS, OATS , and PEAS have all helped
The earliest mentions of Halloween young people to learn about future mates or
nearly all refer to food, usually BREAD or fate. Sometimes divinations require a com-
CAKE; throughout Europe and the British plete meal: In one such practice, a girl would
Isles special SOUL CAKES were prepared and prepare an especially good meal and lay it out
given to the poor or to beggars, usually on to tempt an appearance of her future hus-
All Souls’ Eve (and usually as a form of pay- band, who would then be bound to her.
ment in return for prayers offered for souls Halloween involves a number of food
in PURGATORY). In Scotland and Ireland, games: Aside from the classic BOBBING FOR
Halloween mumming was rewarded with APPLES, there is also “the RAISIN race,”
food; a 19th century Scottish mummer de- SCADDING THE PEAS and SNAPDRAGON.
scribed receiving, at the conclusion of a per- Some foods are known by their relation
formance, “suet dumplings in a cloot to FAIRIES: CHICKENS, SALT and oatmeal all had
(cloth)…and if you were lucky your slice ob- special protective properties, while BLACK-
tained a surprise, either a miniature doll or BERRIES were blighted by the fairies (or some-
a tiny silver threepenny piece.” Meals were set times the DEVIL) on or about October 31.
out for the visiting dead; in Mexico special CORN, pumpkins, oranges, apples, pota-
sweets were prepared for spirit children dur- toes, and (in Great Britain) TURNIPS have all
ing DAY OF THE DEAD, and during the French made fine Halloween decorations.
TOUSSAINT milk was poured on graves. Halloween parties sometimes centered
Special foods were also prepared purely around food themes, with guests invited to
for the living, especially in Ireland and Scot- attend in costumes based on harvest fruits
land: Apple tarts or dumplings, “sonsie keb- and vegetables. Menus for early 20th-cen-
buck” (a lucky cheese), “banbrishd” tury Halloween parties frequently featured
(whipped cream), “brandered bannocks” heavy foods, and this suggestion from a 1917
(grilled barley- or pease-meal cakes), BARM article might explain why: “To insure the
BRACK, BOXTY, BWYD CENNAD Y MEIRW, CHAMP, dreams of goblins and the frightful glimpses
Footprints 82

of futurity which one’s Hallowe’en slumbers pecially those customs involving love and ro-
should not fail to bring it is well to have one’s mance) was practiced on other days as well
menu decidedly indigestible” (the menu in (including ST. AGNES’ EVE, MIDSUMMER’S EVE
this article includes Lobster Newburg, cheese and even CHRISTMAS), there were more and a
soufflé, roast quail, and waffles with syrup). wider variety of customs practiced on Hal-
Finally, probably no other holiday has loweens past than any other day of the year.
as many alternate names which are food- In his introduction to Halloween and Other
based as Halloween does: The holiday has Festivals of Death and Life, JACK SANTINO also
gone by ALLANTIDE, CABBAGE NIGHT, CAKE describes divination as “oriented toward life-
NIGHT, CALCANNON NIGHT, CRACK-NUT EVE, enforcing events such as love, courtship, and
NUTCRACK NIGHT, and SNAP-APPLE NIGHT. marriage at a time when seasonal activities
include harvesting in preparation for the
Footprints—In Ireland, footprints found on dead of winter.”
the morning after Halloween indicated the By far the largest percentage of Hal-
presence of ghostly visitors during the night. loween fortune-telling rituals was focused
If the footprints were coming in, it foretold on determining the identity of one’s future
a birth in the household; going out was an mate. Common themes in these rituals in-
omen of a death. clude performing certain actions BACKWARDS,
In North Lincolnshire, a FORTUNE- using the number THREE (or three times
TELLING custom (used on both St. Mark’s Eve
three, NINE), DREAMS, WATER, APPLES, and out-
and Halloween) had the opposite meaning:
ASHES were placed on the hearthstone, or
beans on the floor of the barn. If a girl found
footsteps there the next morning, they be-
longed to her future husband.

Fortune Cake— Once the centerpiece of

Halloween parties (especially in the late
nineteenth century), a fortune cake was an
ordinary cake except that a ring, a thimble
and a dime were baked into it (sometimes
other symbols as well). A ring denoted mar-
riage, the thimble spinsterhood, and the
dime wealth. In later years, fortune cake
pieces were even marketed and sold as sets.
In Ireland, BARM BRACK was a specific type of
cake used exclusively as a fortune cake at
Halloween.

Fortune-Telling— Fortune-telling or div-

ination was, up until the mid-twentieth cen-
tury, one of the most popular aspects of Hal-
loween. The popularity of fortune-telling on
Halloween is often ascribed to its beginnings
as SAMHAIN, the CELTS’ New Years’ celebra-
tion, when it was thought that the borders
between this world and the Otherworld were This Ellen Clapsaddle postcard shows two
down, and as such divination was possible children engaged in a classic form of fortune-
on this night. Although fortune-telling (es- telling on Halloween.
 83 Frazer, Sir James George

door activities, such as those involving KALE also: ALPHABET GAME, ANTHROPOMANCY, APPLE
or HEMP SEED. In a few the DEVIL was invoked, PARINGS , APPLE SEEDS, ASHES , BARLEY, BAY
while in a few others the Lord or Mary are LEAVES, BEDPOSTS, BEETS, BIBLE, BRIAR THORN,
called upon. Some involve dire circum- BUILDING THE HOUSE, ROBERT BURNS, BUT-
stances and were considered dangerous (see TONS, CABBAGES, CAILLEACH, CAKE, CANDLES,
CHURCHES and FIELDS), but most were con- CEILING , CHESTNUTS, CHIMNEY, CLOTHES,
sidered harmless and in time transformed CLOVER, COINS , CORN, CORN MEAL, CORPSES,
into mere party games (see BOBBING FOR AP- CROSSROADS, CYNIVER, DINNER, DOUGH, DUMB
PLES). Quite a few involved finding tokens in CAKE , DUMB SUPPERS , EGGS, FEATHERS , FIRE
food (BARM BRACK, FORTUNE CAKE, or MASHED O ’LOVE, FIRES , FLOUR, FOOTPRINTS, GRAVE -
POTATOES). YARDS, HAIR, HARROW, HERRING, IVY, KNOTS,
A great many of the divinations in- LAUNDRY, LEAD, LEEKS , LEMONS, LIME-KILN,
volved seeing a future spouse in some ghostly LIVELONG, LUGGIE BOWLS, MATCHES, MATRI-
form, known as a FETCH or wraith. However, MONY (SAINT), MIDNIGHT, MILFOIL, MIRRORS,
these rituals also offered an opportunity for NEIGHBORS, NUTMEG, NUTS, OATS, PEAS, PEAT,
an earthly suitor to make his intentions POPCORN , PUMPKINS , RABBIT’ S FOOT, RAKE,
known. As author MARTHA ORNE notes in ROSES, SAGE, S T . ANDREW ’S DAY , SALT,
the 1898 Hallowe’en: How to Celebrate It (in SCADDING THE PEAS, SHIRTS, SHOES, SHRUBBERY,
regards to the tradition of WALKING around SIEVE, SNAILS, SNAPDRAGON, SPIDERS, STRAW,
the block with a mouthful of water): “A TEA -LEAVES, THREAD, WALNUTS, WEDDING
clever hostess will send two unsuspecting RING, WILLOWS, WIND, WISHING, WOOD, YARN,
lovers by different doors; they are sure to AND YEW.
meet, and not unfrequently settle matters
then and there.” Frazer, Sir James George—Born in Glasgow
In one verse, SIR WALTER SCOTT sug- in 1854, Frazer was a social anthropologist
gests a particularly frightening method of whose classic work The Golden Bough (first
divination: published in a two-volume edition in 1890,
followed by the twelve-volume 3rd edition
For on Hallowmas Eve the Nighthag shall
ride, in 1915) brought together a wealth of Hal-
And all her nine-fold sweeping on by her loween folklore and tales in what was the first
side, serious historical overview of the holiday. As
Whether the wind sing lowly or loud, detailed in Balder the Beautiful Volume I
Stealing through moonshine or swathed in (part VII of The Golden Bough), the lengthy
a cloud. chapter on “The Halloween Fires” pulls to-
He that dare sit in St. Swithin’s Chair gether FIRE and FORTUNE TELLING customs,
When the Nighthag wings the troubled air, history, GHOST STORIES, and tales of FAIRIES
Questions three, when he speaks the spell,
and WITCHES from all over the British Isles
He may ask and she must tell.
(Frazer relied on both existing sources such
In Scotland a fortune-teller was called a as Brand’s Popular Antiquities and his own
spaewife, and was very busy indeed on Hal- interviews and correspondence). Frazer, who
loween. was knighted in 1914 and who produced a
Scrying, performed mainly with crys- number of other important works, passed
tal balls, is practiced by some, especially away in 1941. Although many of Frazer’s the-
WICCA adherents, on Halloween. Pendulums ories were later discredited (for example, his
may also be used, in a method somewhat beliefs in Social Darwinism), The Golden
similar to the famous Ouija board, still a Bough remains both the first work to seri-
popular fortune telling game at Halloween. ously examine Halloween customs from a
For more fortune-telling customs, see social and anthropological viewpoint, and
Fuarag 84

an invaluable collection of Halloween myth meal, popular at Halloween, often with a

and lore. ring hidden inside. When prepared specifi-
cally for Halloween, it’s referred to as Fuarag
Fuarag— Gaelic name (derived from the na Samhna , and is referred to in the lowland
Gaelic word for “cold”) for a dish of milk and areas as CROWDIE.

G
Gallotians— In early twentieth-century guised as ghosts (with pillowcases placed
Scotland, the “Gallotians” were a form of over their heads), and asked to play a game
MUMMERS who went house-to-house in old such as one in which they were given an
COSTUMES and blackened faces, while carry- apple stem, shown a PUMPKIN across the
ing wooden swords; they put on a crude play room resting on a chair, then spun around
with fighting at each house. At either the be- THREE times and told to place the stem in the
ginning or end of the presentation, an old pumpkin (in fact there are numerous varia-
patchwork-clad man with a MASK passed a
hat around while saying:
Here comes I, old Keek-um funny,
I’m the man that lifts the money.
The name “Gallotians” bears a strong
resemblance to “Galatians,” the name of a
tribe of CELTS, so it is possible this custom
may have pagan origins.

Games— As a favorite activity of PARTIES,

games have a long association with Hal-
loween; however, Halloween games have
special meaning, since they’re often com-
bined with FORTUNE-TELLING practices. For
example, in one variation of a treasure or
scavenger hunt game, a ring, a thimble and
a penny were hidden around a room; who-
ever found the ring would soon be wed, the
thimble’s finder would remain unmarried,
and the penny’s collector would become
wealthy. BOBBING FOR APPLES was sometimes
turned into a form of divination, although
usually the goal was simply to manage the
difficult feat of obtaining an apple. Ouija
boards provided any home with a way to ob-
tain messages from the spirit world, and were
popular in the twentieth century. 1954 Whitman “Pin on the Hat” Halloween
Guests might be blindfolded or dis- game
 85 Ghost Stories

tions of “Pin the Tail on the Donkey,” in- States are a sub-culture who have claimed
cluding professionally-produced “Pin the Halloween for themselves, and in the process
Tail on the Black Cat” games). Other games boosted its popularity across all ethnic and
involved guessing (such as “Meow Meow,” a sexual lines. It has been said that “Halloween
game centered on the abilities of CATS) or is to gays what St. Patrick’s is to the Irish,”
storytelling (as in one which involved pass- and there has been speculation that Hal-
ing a bundle of glowing twigs from hand to loween may have become popular with gays
hand —see CANDLES). partly as a night to celebrate and to “let off
Games also extended to larger sporting steam” in the wake of the AIDS epidemic
functions in some areas: For example, the (and possibly eight years of the Reagan Ad-
community of Cullen in Banffshire, Scot- ministration, which saw more attempts to
land, once celebrated both Halloween and oppress gays and gay rights). Halloween’s
CHRISTMAS by heading to the local shores for COSTUMING traditions have long offered a
games of football and running. The games haven to transvestites and transsexuals; for
commenced after a procession to the sands example, beginning in 1938, Finnie’s Club in
led by pipers and music, and the winners— Chicago held a yearly Halloween Masquerade
who were crowned with bonnets adorned Ball for “Female Impersonators” which ran
with feathers and ribbons— led the proces- through the late ’50s. The Greenwich Village
sion to return to the town. The evening saw PARADE gained in popularity largely due to
a special ball, during which the day’s cham- the influence of the local gay residents, and
pions still wore their triumphant bonnets. likewise Halloween festivities in Key West,
Whist and bridge were both popular West Hollywood, and San Francisco have
Halloween games, and special Halloween also thrived, due to gay participation.
tally cards for these games are now fine COL-
Ghost Stories—The association of ghost sto-
LECTIBLES.
ries with Halloween probably dates back to
Gate— Although gates figured most promi- the very beginnings of the holiday, as a day
nently in Halloween PRANKING (which even when the sun died, the night ruled, and the
earned the holiday the name of GATE NIGHT), souls of the dead walked. Certainly there is a
they also figured in one FORTUNE-TELLING considerable body of ghost stories (or tales
custom involving CHURCHES: On Halloween about malicious FAIRIES) surrounding
night the fortune-seeker stood by
a churchyard gate at MIDNIGHT to
see souls of the dead in the com-
ing year. However, the watcher
ran the danger of being the first to
die and becoming “the church-
yard walker” until another fool-
ish soul took his or her place.

Gate Night— This alternative

name for Halloween derived
from the fact that, during the
nineteenth and twentieth cen-
turies, gates were so often stolen
in PRANKING.

Gay Culture— Like the NEO-PA- This vintage postcard catches young pranksters in the act
GANS , the gays in the United on Gate Night.
Ghost Table 86

SAMHAIN, and there is even a Catholic legend to hunt on this night, since the woods were
that ODILO initiated ALL SOULS’ DAY because full of these wandering souls. In Brittany left-
of a story he heard about the wailing of suf- overs—typically pancakes, cider and curdled
fering souls. Several of the classic American milk — are set out for the hungry ghosts on
stories told at Halloween, including “The fresh white linen; musicians— who claim to
Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by WASHINGTON sometimes feel the cold breath of their in-
IRVING, feature ghosts prominently, while visible guests— supply entertainment. In
such ghost-story films as The Haunting, The parts of Italy, one superstition involves not
Innocents and, more recently, The Sixth sleeping in one’s bed on Halloween night,
Sense, have become favorite holiday viewing. since the wandering dead seek rest. It is also
There are also several ghost stories told dur- bad luck in certain areas to leave livestock
ing DAY OF THE DEAD festivities. Strangely, out on Halloween, since the wandering
prior to the 20th-century ghost stories were ghosts might seek to mount the horses or
more commonly told on CHRISTMAS Eve than milk the cows dry. In Aurillac (Cantal) it was
during Halloween (see, for example, the believed that on the evening of November 2
Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol). the souls of all those who would die in the
See EACH UISG. coming year assembled at MIDNIGHT in the
cemetery, where the Grim Reaper led them
Ghost Table— A Maryland Halloween FOR-
to their future graves. In fact, practicing cer-
TUNE-TELLING custom, in which a table was
set by the hearth with EGGS placed for each
person who wanted to know his or her fu-
ture spouse. At MIDNIGHT, the spirit of a CAT
was believed to float through the door, fol-
lowed by the ghostly image of a COFFIN. The
spirit (or FETCH) of a person then drifted
through the door and turned the egg of the
person it would marry.
Ghosts— A Brittany proverb states that “on
Halloween there are more souls in each
house than there are grains of sand on the
shores of the sea,” and certainly Halloween
has always been a time when ghosts were be-
lieved to walk more freely. In most parts of
the world where the Catholic church has in-
fluence, the ghosts of departed family mem-
bers are thought to return on ALL SOULS’
DAY, and are welcomed; however, malicious
spirits are also abroad at this time. In the re-
gion of the Vosges they believe that on Hal-
loween night it is literally impossible to walk
without treading on the souls of the dead; in
this same region, windows are left open and
beds uncovered on this night so that ghosts
can return to enjoy some mortal comforts.
One tradition in this area was to leave a bas-
ket of HAZELNUTS near the HEARTH for the An eerie ¡909 postcard showing a Hal-
dead to enjoy; it was also considered bad luck loween witch and a ghost.
 87 Graveyards

tain rituals in CHURCHES or at CROSSROADS “Little Orphant Annie,” a young girl offers
might enable one to see ghosts on Halloween various brief descriptions of misbehaving
(although the watcher often ran the danger children, and finishes each with the warning
of becoming one himself ). that “the Gobble-uns ’ll git you ef you don’t
Ghosts and their favorite haunts are watch out!”
very popular on Halloween; for example,
Room 3312 (formerly Room 302) at the Goblins— Malicious FAIRIES, goblins are
Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, Califor- sometimes said to be the French equivalent of
nia — which is said to be haunted by the the English, Irish or Scottish fairy (the word
ghost of a VICTORIAN woman named Kate comes from the French gobelin, a malicious
Morgan — is booked on Halloween for years spirit which troubled a Normandy town). A
in advance (even though the Hotel insists hobgoblin was a goblin more interested in
that one’s chances of seeing a spectral guest harmless pranks than causing real injury.
are just as good on any other night). One American folk belief is that goblins
At Newton Castle, Perthshire, the ap- leave swamps on Halloween to haunt wrong-
parition of the Green Lady of Newton Castle doers.
is said to be most likely to appear at Hal-
loween, and her gravestone is also supposed Goosey Night— Regional American name
to turn around three times. that refers to the night before Halloween,
Armboth House in Cumbria was re- found in areas of the east coast, mainly New
portedly haunted following the drowning of Jersey, and is synonomous with MISCHIEF
the householder’s daughter on Halloween, NIGHT; in parts of Texas. In New Jersey,
the night before her wedding day. The house where Goosey Night PRANKING the night
now lies submerged beneath Thirlmere before Halloween has remained a problem
reservoir, but supposedly the sound of BELLS into the 21st century, police in 2009 began
can still be heard, and a ghostly dog swims in issuing warnings and enforcing curfews (8
Thirlmere Lake (where the young woman or 9 P.M., depending on the town) on this
was murdered). night.
The violent events of GUY FAWKES DAY
have given rise to a number of alleged haunt- Graveyards—As the final resting place of the
ings, and the Halloween death of HARRY dead, graveyards are an integral part of ALL
HOUDINI prompts a yearly
séance to contact his ghost.
Ghosts must certainly be
one of the most popular Hal-
loween icons, along with JACK-
O ’-LANTERNS, CATS and
WITCHES. There are dozen of
ghost COLLECTIBLES produced
every year, including CANDLES,
yard decorations, windsocks,
etc., and perhaps the classic
Halloween COSTUME still con-
sists of cutting eye-holes in a
white sheet.

Gobble-Uns—See GOBLINS. In
James Whitcomb Riley’s poem Goblins ride owls in this fanciful vintage postcard.
Graveyards 88

SAINTS’ and ALL SOULS’ DAY (and DAY OF THE wall, along the graveyard’s main avenue, and
DEAD) rituals. In many Catholic traditions, somewhere on its length pick up a piece of
families visit graveyards at this time to clean dirt; this was tied in one corner of the new
and decorate the tombs and graves of their handkerchief, while the wish-seeker silently
departed loved ones. In some areas the parish expressed the most heartfelt wish. Now the
priest may actually conduct mass in the wish-seeker must leave the cemetery by the
cemetery, lead parishioners in a procession same gate used to enter, and go to a second
through the graveyard, and bless individual cemetery; these same steps are repeated
graves. there, with the bit of dirt from the main walk
In New Orleans, for several weeks be- tied into a second corner of the handkerchief
fore Halloween clear up to the afternoon of with a second wish. A third cemetery was
the 31st, it was a tradition (up until the mid- visited, with a third clod of dirt tied into a
twentieth century) to clean the city’s ceme- third corner, while the wish-seeker made a
teries. In Cajun areas, a nocturnal Mass was final wish. The last step was to return home,
said in cemeteries on Halloween night. Can- ball the handkerchief up and throw it up to
dles that had been blessed were placed on the top of an armoire, or the cornice of a high
graves, and FAMILIES sometimes spent the en- window, anywhere high up where it would
tire night at the graveside. Boys picked up remain undisturbed. If the wish-seeker has
extra money by waiting outside cemetery en- successfully performed this ritual in com-
trances and offering to clean graves for pay. plete silence, all three wishes will come true
FLOWERS— usually chrysanthemums— were within the next year.
placed at graves; in fact, this tradition was Graveyards weren’t always treated with
held in such esteem that families would go reverence, however, since they also figure in
hungry in order to afford the largest or best Halloween PRANKING: In both Ireland and
flowers. On Halloween day street vendors America it was common for mischievous
gathered around graveyards and a party-type boys to dress as GHOSTS and hide out in
sense prevailed; nowadays, however, Hal- cemeteries, frightening passersby with sud-
loween in New Orleans is associated with the den appearances or their ghostly lanterns
French Quarter, which boasts one of the (made from PUMPKINS or TURNIPS).
largest costumed CELEBRATIONS in the coun- One old belief was that lost friends
try. In earlier times, nuns begged money out- could be met at graveyard GATES on Hal-
side the graveyards and statues of saints were loween night (although one also risked meet-
sold by vendors. ing those whom one had wronged or in-
One New Orleans URBAN LEGEND tells of jured).
the African-American woman who for more A European SUPERSTITION is that the
than 40 years left a single blossom at the dead emerge from their graves on Halloween
tomb of a white soldier killed in the Civil to pray in churches. An American supersti-
War; when the flower stopped appearing on tion stresses avoiding cemeteries on Hal-
All Saints Day, graveyard observers knew the loween, since to meet the spirits of the dead
woman had died. who walk on that night would result in one’s
There was at least one Creole WISHING own death. The Irish version of this is that
custom in New Orleans: Before Halloween, the dead will return on All Hallows to take
a handkerchief must be purchased, then kept revenge for any hurt done to them while
unused and clean. On November 1, the wish- alive, so graveyards should be avoided on this
seeker would leave home as early as possible, night; one should never turn to look if foot-
silently, and go to a cemetery, where he or steps sound behind, since to meet the glance
she must enter by the main gate. The next of a dead man is to die oneself.
step was to walk from there to the opposite
 89 Guising

Greece, Ancient see Anthesteria ber 31, 1993, when gun-bearing terrorists
burst into a pub frequented by both
Gregory I (Pope) (aka Gregory the Great, Catholics and Protestants, and shouted the
aka St. Gregory) (A.D. 540–604)— Gregory I American phrase “trick or treat!” as they
figures in the history of Halloween as the opened fire, killing 13.
main architect behind the Catholic Church
doctrine of SYNCRETISM, or co-opting existing Grülacks— Young men of Shetland dressed
pagan practices, rather than trying to ag- in fantastic COSTUMES on Halloween, with
gressively stamp them out. Halloween prob- tall, hand-woven straw hats and multi-col-
ably owes some of its history as a combina- ored ribbons, and with faces concealed by
tion of pagan and Christian rituals to veils, who went GUISING house-to-house.
Gregory. Their leader was called the Skuddler; another
In A.D. 601 Pope Gregory wrote a letter carried a fiddle and was nicknamed the Reel-
to Abbot Mellitus, who was on his way to Spinner; in some reports, there was also one
England, discussing the survival of pagan dressed in black known as the Judas. One
places and customs, and Christianity’s re- carried a “buggie,” a bag formed from the
sponse. In the letter, Gregory suggests: intact skin of a sheep, which they used to col-
lect money and FOOD (such as traditional
…the temples of the idols in those nations
CAKES called burstin brunies, as well as mut-
ought not to be destroyed; but let the idols
that are in them be destroyed…. For if those ton, sausages, and cheese) as they went house
temples are well built, it is requisite that they to house, offering song and dance. They all
be converted from the worship of devils to carried long sticks, which they thumped on
the service of the true God…. And because the floor of the home as they grunted like
they have been used to slaughter many oxen pigs, and they would only enter a home after
in the sacrifices to devils, some solemnity being invited in by shots fired by the home-
must be exchanged for them on this account owner. One mid-19th-century description of
… [they may] celebrate the solemnity with them by travelers unfamiliar with the cus-
religious feasting, and no more offer beasts
tom suggests that they presented a frighten-
to the Devil, but kill cattle to the praise of
God…. ing image, and were occasionally mistaken
for FAIRIES. The next evening they assembled
Although Gregory’s letter nowhere specifies at a house or barn, where they were joined
co-opting existing festivals or holidays, there by sisters and sweethearts in a great feast and
is nonetheless a considerable amount of night of GAMES, singing and dancing. Un-
speculation that this letter established a pol- eaten food was given to the needy. Grulacks
icy of setting church celebrations (i.e., ALL also occasionally visited weddings; it was
SAINTS’ DAY) on traditional pagan festival thought to be a sign of great respect to see
days (i.e., SAMHAIN). The mission to England them appear at a wedding.
is usually considered to be one of the great-
est successes of Gregory’s pontificate, al- Guising— A possible forerunner of the
though he also fostered the development of American TRICK OR TREAT, guising was most
liturgical music (the term “Gregorian Chant” popular in Scotland, where it was practiced
is from his name). He was canonized imme- on two holidays, HOGMANAY and Halloween.
diately after his death, and his feast day is Hogmanay guising seems to be related to
celebrated in the Western Church on Sep- CHRISTMAS, since the guisers were often
tember 3 (although March 12, the anniver- called Yule Boys and usually represented re-
sary of his death, is still observed in the East). ligious characters (specifically, the Twelve
Apostles). Halloween guising is often be-
Greysteel— This Irish town experienced a lieved to be a remnant of pagan Celtic prac-
horrific Halloween terrorist event on Octo- tices, but there is virtually no evidence that
Guleesh Na Guss Dhu 90

the CELTS or their DRUIDS donned COSTUMES ride, Guleesh follows suit and rides with
for Halloween; the blackened faces sported them to Rome. When they realize Guleesh
by some guisers are believed to echo an an- has joined them, they tell him that the beau-
cient Druid custom of rubbing BONFIRE ASHES tiful daughter of the King of France will be
on the face as a means of magical protection. married tonight, and they want to kidnap
It is also believed that guising was performed her before the wedding, but they need
to fool wandering Halloween spirits, al- Guleesh’s help, since she can’t cling to a fairy.
though contemporary guising has lost any While in Rome, Guleesh wants to see the
meaning but the pleasures of dressing up and pope about getting his parish priest rein-
collecting rewards. stated; he threatens to burn down the pope’s
Guising is reported as far back as 1585, house, so the pope gives him a bull for the
when it was an adult practice, but now it is priest. Then Guleesh and the FAIRIES ride to
confined almost solely to young children. France, where they enter the wedding invis-
The Scottish children don “fausse faces” ible to mortal eyes. They take the princess
(grotesque masks), and emerge after night- (who turned 18 that day, and was to be mar-
fall carrying TURNIP lanterns or KALE-runt ried against her will), make her invisible, and
torches. They join in small groups and sing Guleesh rides with her back to Erin. When
a traditional rhyme: they land, Guleesh decides he can’t turn her
Hallowe’en! A nicht o’ tine!
over to the fairies, so he utters a charm that
A can’le in a custock! turns their horses to BROOMS and sticks; in
return, they strike the princess dumb.
Or one enjoyed more by mischief-mak- Guleesh takes the bull and the princess to his
ers of the past ran: priest, and the priest agrees to keep the girl
The nicht is Hallowe’en and the morn’s and pass her off as a niece. A year passes, dur-
Hallowday, ing which Guleesh and the princess fall in
Gin ye want a true love, it’s time ye were love. Halloween night comes again, and
away! Guleesh waits for the fairies, hoping to per-
Tally on the window-brod, suade them to restore her speech. The fairies
Tally on the green, happen by and Guleesh hears them mention
Tally on the window-brod, that an herb growing right by his front door
The nicht’s Hallowe’en! would, when boiled, cure her. Guleesh finds
At each door they asked “Please to help the the herb and boils it, and the Princess regains
guisers!,” and were rewarded with APPLES, her power of speech. She returns to France,
NUTS and small COINS. The practice is a vari- Guleesh follows her, and finally they are wed.
ation of “thigging,” which is the practice of Gunpowder Plot see Guy Fawkes
soliciting gifts on special occasions, and Day/Night
should not be confused with begging. After
guising they held BONFIRES, then it was home Guy Fawkes Day/Night (also November the
for indoor festivities. Fifth, Bonfire Night, Firework Night, Squib
Night, Plot Night, Pope Day)— This British
Guleesh Na Guss Dhu (Guleesh Black- holiday, held on November 5, commemo-
foot)— Well-known Irish Halloween tale rates the failed attempt of a group of con-
centering on Guleesh, a boy who never spirators (including Guy Fawkes) to blow up
washes his feet. On Halloween night—when Parliament in 1605. It was declared a holiday
he turns 21— his father beats him and he in 1606, and because of its proximity in the
runs from the house, only to encounter a calendar to Halloween, there was naturally
fairy host, who he follows into their rath. a considerable amount of crossover between
When the fairy folk call up magic horses to the two observances. In fact, when Hal-
 91 Guy Fawkes Day/Night

loween was banned in Britain in the mid- only included destroying the royal family and
seventeenth century, Guy Fawkes Day ab- the House of Lords on November 5, the (re-
sorbed many of the Halloween rituals and vised) opening day of Parliament, but also
kept them alive. Guy Fawkes Day mayalso kidnapping James’s nine-year-old daughter
have contributed to Halloween’s most pop- Princess Elizabeth, with the idea of setting
ular contemporary practice, TRICK OR TREAT. her up as a puppet ruler — was discovered
Guy Fawkes Day commemorates the prior to the actual unfolding, probably by
discovery (on November 5, 1605) of a plot to hints leaked by the conspirators to mentors.
blow up the British Parliament on opening A famed piece of evidence called “the Mon-
day (in 1605 the date for the opening was teagle Letter”— an anonymous missive re-
moved several times, mainly because of fear ceived on October 26 by Lord Monteagle
of plague outbreaks; prior to November 5, it which forewarned of the conspiracy — may
had been set for October 3). Although the have been a forgery by one of the very lords
leader of the conspiracy was actually Robert who had been privately warned. On No-
“Robin” Catesby, Fawkes (who had taken the vember 1, Father Henry Garnet, later falsely
name “Guido Fawkes” since an ill-fated mis- implicated as the plot’s Jesuit mastermind
sion in 1603 to secure the aid of Spanish and finally executed on May 3, 1606, led sev-
Catholics) was the man discovered with 36 eral of the conspirators’ kin in a solemn ALL
barrels of gunpowder beneath the House of SAINTS’ DAY mass, followed on November 2
Lords in the early hours of November 5, and by the even more sober rituals of ALL SOULS’
so was the first conspirator to be arrested DAY. Fawkes (who had been tortured so se-
(Catesby was slain by a posse at Holbeach on verely that he was too weak to ascend the gal-
November 8). The conspiracy was originally lows without assistance) was hanged, drawn
triggered by the oppression of the English and quartered on January 31, 1606.
Catholics; after having suffered under the Response to the Plot, the trials, and the
long reign of Queen Elizabeth, their hopes executions was almost immediate and plen-
for some reprieve were swiftly dashed when tiful — there were newspaper cartoons,
the new monarch King James I ascended the speeches, and a book entitled A Discourse of
throne in 1603, and soon made it clear that his the manner of the Discoverie of the Gunpow-
tolerance for Catholicism (he had allowed der Plot, ascribed to the king himself but
his wife, Queen Anne, to con-
vert to the religion sometime
in either 1600 or 1601) was ex-
tremely limited. Catholic op-
pression extended from heavy
fines to death (for harboring
priests). Even though most
Catholics (or “papists”) were
opposed to violent treason
(especially after Spain signed
a treaty with England in 1604),
there were those who believed
that fiery insurrection was
the only means left to them;
thus, Catesby’s circle of con-
spirators eventually included
13. Children at work on their “guy” (1853 newspaper illustra-
Their plan — which not tion)
Guy Fawkes Day/Night 92

probably ghost-written by Francis Bacon. called “the guy” was often created, and
Upon the same day that the conspiracy was served as the centerpiece of begging by chil-
discovered and averted, BONFIRES were dren before being carried through the streets
lighted to celebrate, thus beginning a tradi- and tossed onto a bonfire. The rhymes re-
tion that has now continued for over four cited by the juvenile beggars are one of the
hundred years. In January of 1606 the Par- most famous aspects of Guy Fawkes Day. The
liament appointed November 5 “a holiday following song was found in some parts of
forever in thankfulness to God for our de- the north of England:
liverance and detestation of the Papists.” A Hollo, boys, hollo, boys,
special service for the holiday existed in the Let the bells ring :
English Book of Common Prayer until it was Hollo, boys, hollo boys,
excised in 1859. In 1647, it was the only fes- God save the queen.
tival not abolished by Parliament. Pray to remember
The day’s tradition was well established The fifth of November,
by 1677, when Poor Robin’s Almanack tells us: Gunpowder treason and plot,
When the king and his train
Now boys with
Had nearly been slain,
Squibs and crackers play,
Therefore it shall not be forgot.
And bonfires’ blaze
Turns night to day. Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
And his companions,
The classic celebration of the day in- Strove to blow all England up;
cluded bonfires and MUMMING. An effigy But God’s mercy did prevent,
And saved our king and his Parliament.
Happy was the man,
And happy was the day,
That caught Guy,
Going to his play,
With a dark lanthorn,
And a brimstone match,
Ready for the prime to touch.
As I was going through the dark entry,
I spied the devil.
Stand back! Stand back!
Queen Mary’s daughter,
Put your hand in your pocket
And give us some money,
To kindle our bonfire.
Huzza! Huzza!
In some areas, the classic rhyme was altered
to fit some aspect of the local history, as in
these lines that appear in a Nottinghamshire
version:

Gunpowder Plot shall never be forgot

While Nottingham Castle stands upon a
rock.
An amusing local variant from Cleasby in
Guy Fawkes enters the House of Lords in this Yorkshire included a reference to an old
seventeenth-century illustration. woman named Bella Brown, who was well-
 93 Guy Fawkes Day/Night

known for her “Tom Trot,” a toffee made of a-progging”). “Guy faces” were masks that
treacle and butter. Yorkshire boys in the 19th could be bought for the holiday; these were
century recited these lines around their Guy usually sold in the same shops selling fire-
Fawkes Eve bonfires: works for the day.
The holiday was celebrated in virtually
Gunpowder Plot shall never be forgot
As long as Bella Brown sells Tom Trot. every English village except Scotton, near
Knaresborough, Yorks, which is close to the
Another popular rhyme: hall where Fawkes lived as a boy and where
Guy Fawkes Guy, never come a’ nigh,
his ghost is supposedly still active.
Hang him on a lamp post and there let him At Slaugham in the 1890s, the fire was
die. always built up round a tall, stout green post,
Here comes old Ragged Jack, with all his especially chosen so that it would char but
ragged clothes. not burn. It was called “the scrag”; when the
Tie him to the lamp post and burn him to flames had died down, the scrag was up-
his nose. rooted and carried away on men’s shoulders,
A variation of this “lamp post” rhyme ran: and taken to each of the two local pubs where
it was “sold” for drinks. In Hertfordshire,
Guy! Guy! Guy! “Guy Fawkes Fireballs” were old rags cov-
Stick him up high. ered in pitch and rolled into a ball; these
Stick him on a lamp post
were slung between two poles, set alight and
And there let him die.
carried flaming through town and village
At Pembroke College in Oxford, No- streets. The butchers of Clare Market had
vember 5th rhyming was even institutional- their own method of celebrating Guy Fawkes
ized, as undergraduates prior to the mid-18th Day: One of them dressed as Guy Fawkes,
century were asked to make two copies of and was seated in a cart accompanied by
celebratory verses, one of which was pre- priest and executioner. The cart was drawn
sented to the master, and the other placed in through the streets as if to the place of exe-
the Hall for all to see. cution while money was solicited from on-
As Guy Fawkes Day CELEBRATIONS be- lookers, and later spent in carousing. At
came increasingly more riotous, they were Hartley Wintney in Hampshire, villagers as-
suppressed, and the celebra-
tions were enjoyed more by
children (beginning in the
eighteenth century). Children
would gather around their
hand-made effigies and beg “a
penny for the Guy” from
passersby; the money was
often used to buy FIREWORKS
for the evening of November
5. In some areas of Britain,
children went house-to-house
begging coal for bonfires; in
others they went GUISING.
“Chubbing” was the act of col-
lecting wood for bonfires (al-
though in Oxfordshire this
practice was known as “going An early engraving showing “The Gunpowder Conspirators.”
Guy Fawkes Day/Night 94

sembled on Guy Fawkes Day at four points combined with Halloween festivities, the
around the village, and at a signal they tossed holiday is still celebrated with its own dis-
200 brands onto a great bonfire. Even three tinctive rituals throughout England. Lewes
days later the ashes were still hot enough to now hosts the last of the grand, old-fash-
roast CHESTNUTS. In Sussex, boys begging for ioned Guy Fawkes Night celebrations (the
material for their bonfires sang: festivities also commemorate the days of the
Marian persecution, when 17 Protestant
A stick and a stake,
For King George’s sake!
martyrs were burned at the stake from 1555
to 1557). The first record of Bonfire Night in
Those who wouldn’t give might find Lewes dates to 1679; by 1929, 100,000 torches
their BROOMS or fenceposts missing. At Rye in were burned in Lewes on Guy Fawkes Night.
the 1860s and 1870s, there were even reports In the current celebration, five or six sepa-
of people being tarred and feathered on Guy rate bonfire societies each hold their own
Fawkes Night. processions, fireworks and bonfires, but they
At Marlborough in Wiltshire was found combine forces for the Grand United Pro-
one of the more peculiar celebrations: On cession, which features over a mile of effi-
November 5th a dozen or more men assem- gies (often of current unpopular public
bled around the bonfire and followed each figures, which are exploded to great ap-
other round it, holding thick club sticks over plause), bands, banners, flaming torches, and
their shoulders, while a few others standing over 2,000 participants. Each of the societies
at distances outside this moving ring with also throws a flaming tar barrel into the river
the same sort of sticks beat those which the Ouse, and visits the town’s war memorial.
men held over their shoulders as they passed; The most historic society is the Cliffe Society,
meanwhile, they all shouted and screamed whose members dress up as Vikings in
loudly. This lasted about half an hour at a horned helmets (others include the Com-
time and would continue at intervals until mercial Square Pioneers, who dress up as
the fire died out. American Indians; the South Street Juveniles,
Another unusual custom was found in whose costuming is Siamese; the Waterloo,
Yorkshire at Doncaster: On the 5th of No- who appear as Genghis Khan and the Huns,
vember, the town musicians stood on top of and Borough, who array themselves as
the church steeple and waited for the con- Zulus). The Cliffe Society uses antique ban-
gregation to leave the morning service, at ners and Bonfire Prayers, and burns both the
which point they played “God Save the pope and Guy Fawkes in effigy. The Lewes
King.” This custom ran for nearly a century, procession starts every year about 8 P.M., and
although originally the tune played had been winds on for nearly two miles; the COSTUMES
“Britons Strike Home.” worn by the society members are intricate,
In commemoration of the Gunpowder and sometimes old, passed down from father
Treason, the vaults beneath the Palace of to son. Cliffe (named after the chalk cliff that
Westminster are still searched each year prior towers over the town) doesn’t take part in
to the opening of Parliament by a detach- the procession but mocks it with pantomime,
ment of 10 of the Queen’s Body Guard of the and remains the most seriously anti-papist
Yeomen of the Guard. In 1760 a new piece of of the Bonfire Societies. The societies also
ritual was added, after a wine-seller named carry effigies of leaders who have protested
Old Bellamy rented some of the vault space bonfires and effigy burning, although some-
as storage; now each search is concluded with times the effigies are just huge heads on
a drink of port. stakes. The effigies can be as tall as 30 feet,
Although contemporary Guy Fawkes and have even included such American
Day celebrations are sometimes confused or figures as Ronald Reagan.
 95 Guy Fawkes Day/Night

The Lewes celebration is not without its declined in recent years due to the increasing
own history of controversy. In 1779, after an difficulty of obtaining barrels. The Bridgwa-
attempt to ban the bonfires, a notice was ter Guy Fawkes Carnival was organized in
pasted up on the Horsham Town Hall which 1882, and usually includes 100,000 specta-
read in part: tors, and 125 floats featuring electric light
bulbs. The festivities traditionally end with a
Man, if you will believe us in advising you
for your own good, all of you that have the
fireworks display called “the squibbing.”
least hand in trying to prevent the fire and On the island of Guernsey off the coast
fireworks in the town would best come off, of Britain, Guy Fawkes Day festivities once
for it is determined between us to have a fire included a house-to-house MUMMING ritual,
of some sort, so if you will not agree to let us with participants in costumes and painted
have it in peace and quietness, with wood and faces, and accompanied by as many as 17
faggots, we must certainly make a fire of HORSES. They wheeled an effigy of Guy Fawkes
some of your houses, for we don’t think it a to each house, and collected money from
bit more sin to set your houses a fire, and
about 2 P.M. in the afternoon until 10 P.M. that
burn you in your beds, than it is to drink
when one is thirsty.
night. Afterwards, they hung the effigy from
a gibbet, and set fire to it while riding the
During the nineteenth century, author- horses around the pyre. The next night was
ities again attempted to clamp down on dan- called “share-out,” as the money collected
gerous celebrations, and the conflict came to was shared out among all the participants.
a head in 1847 with rioting; a compromise Not all 5th of November festivities cen-
was finally reached in which the “Bonfire tered on bonfires or guys: Around parts of
Boys” agreed to be responsible for the con- Lincolnshire, up until 1860, guns could be
duct of the crowds. fired anywhere in a parish on that day. A 1641
In 19th-century Exeter, Guy Fawkes cel- account from Elmswell, East Yorkshire notes
ebrations began at 4 A.M. on the morning of that wagons were put away for the winter on
the 5th, as cannons were fired off around the “Powder treason day.” In parts of Norfolk, a
city. Youngsters spent the day parading their hollowed-out turnip jack-o’-lantern was car-
“guys,” and fireworks were fired off through- ried on Guy Fawkes’ Night. One of the most
out the day. A bonfire was held in the Cathe- curious practices was found in Holderness,
dral yard, and the festivities continued until where on the eve of the 5th of November, the
around two A.M. the following morning. bells were rung, the church lit, and each boy
A 1904 account from Guildford notes in the parish was provided with a strip of
that all the High Street merchants closed leather attached to a cord with which the
their shops on the Fifth and “provided means boys then beat the church pews. In one town
for extinguishing fires.” Early evening saw a the beating was called “babbling.” In Lin-
procession of young men disguised in colnshire, on Guy Fawkes’ Night they prac-
“grotesque costumes” and carrying fire-mak- ticed certain bonfire divinations (including
ing supplies, which they used to construct a throwing a stone into the bonfire and search-
bonfire opposite Holy Trinity Church. Dam- ing for it the next morning) that had formerly
age was often serious, including broken win- belonged to Halloween.
dows, and stolen fencing and gates; after One community in Britain, Tower
1868, these practices were banned. Hamlets, has in recent years attempted to use
The Hatherleigh Guy Fawkes Carnival the November 5th celebrations to acknowl-
has been held since 1907; it includes a hunt, edge some of their diverse ethnic popula-
a children’s costume parade and contest, PA- tions— in various years, the day has focused
RADES, floats, a disco, and (unofficially) the on celebrating a Bengali fairy tale, the
burning of tar barrels, a custom which has Olympics, and Mexican parties.
Guy Fawkes Day/Night 96

When the Guy Fawkes Day celebration As you well remember,

crossed the Atlantic — where New England Was gunpowder treason and plot;
colonists were less likely to celebrate the sav- I know of no reason
ior of a British monarch — it became Pope Why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Day, a celebration of anti-papist sentiments.
As Pope Day/Bonfire Night became increas- The rhyme concluded with:
ingly anarchic, it was frequently condemned; Here is the pope that we have got,
even George Washington called it “ridicu- The whole promoter of the plot.
lous and childish.” Likewise, an American We’ll stick a pitchfork in his back
almanack of 1746 notes of the day: And throw him in the fire.
Powder-plot is not forgot The boys collected money, and concluded the
Twill be observed by many a sot. evening with a feast and a bonfire of the effi-
gies. In some areas the boys carried large
Nevertheless, the day was celebrated in East
sticks which they thumped on the ground in
Coast U.S. towns up through the late nine-
time with the rhyme.
teenth century (or about the time that Hal-
In some American areas Guy Fawkes
loween finally arrived in America). Ameri-
Day celebrations were halted after 1775 in
can Guy Fawkes Day revelers sometimes
deference to the French, who were deemed
carried PUMPKIN lanterns and NOISEMAKERS,
an advantageous ally; George Washington
and indulged in PRANKING and bonfires (with
also feared offending Canadians, who had
dancing). American celebrations from the
likewise become valuable allies. The No-
eighteenth century were often supplemented
vember 5th celebrations were finally abol-
with revolutionary political demonstrations;
ished for good in America in 1833. Toward
for example, in 1774 effigies of Lord North
the end of the nineteenth century, as Pope’s
(the British prime minister), Thomas
Night lost its meaning in the U.S. areas where
Hutchinson (the Tory Governor of Massa-
it was still celebrated, it was actually called
chusetts), the pope, and the DEVIL (holding a
“Pork Night.”
lantern in the shape of a tea canister) were
Guy Fawkes Day was also celebrated in
all burnt. Another patriotic Guy Fawkes cel-
other areas of the British Empire. In New
ebration of eighteenth-century America in-
Zealand, they recited this rhyme:
volved a man riding an ass, wearing huge
jack boots and a horrifying mask, called Please to remember the fifth of November,
Joyce, Jr. He assembled a mob of men and The gunpowder treason and plot.
boys (who whistled a particular tune), and I see no reason why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
they rode to terrify adherents to the Royal
Four and twenty barrels lain down below,
Government (prior to the Revolution). Blow old England overflow.
The American celebrations also often Happy was the night, happy was the day,
involved only children, as groups of young See old Guy Fawkes going to his den
boys carrying pope effigies about on boards With a dark lantern and a candle in his hand.
or small carriages were common. At night Get out! Get out! You dirty ole man!
they assembled tableaux featuring effigies of Holla, Holla, boys, make the bells ring.
the pope, the devil and other religious figures Holla, Holla, boys, God Save the King.
on larger wagons; these were then wheeled A pound of cheese to choke him,
A bottle of beer to wash it down,
about, sometimes with dancers performing
A jolly good fire to roast him.
atop them as well. The entire procession Christmas is coming, the pigs are getting fat,
would go house-to-house, reciting a poem Please put a penny in the old man’s hat.
that began: If you haven’t got a penny, a hapenny will do.
The fifth of November, If you haven’t got a hapenny, God Bless You.
 97 Gypsies

Money was often given to the child able to which were eaten at a different house each
say this rhyme the best (or the loudest). year in a custom called “tharf-cake joinings.”
Sometimes mischievous adults were known At Hathersage, it was customary to keep a
to heat COINS on shovels before throwing bit of the cake until the following year’s cel-
them out to the children. By 1949, the rhyme ebration. In Bradwell, the “thar-cake join-
had been replaced by the far simpler “A ing” took place within the family, as each
penny for the guy, Mister?” family member shared the thar cake.
In modern Ireland Guy Fawkes Day is Methodists in Bradwell held a “thar-cake
not commonly celebrated, although it is supper” on the Saturday nearest to the fifth
sometimes confused with Halloween. of November. In a newspaper article from
Just as with Halloween, Guy Fawkes 1898, a gentleman commented on the prac-
Day has both its own SUPERSTITIONS and its tice of giving a case of sponge cakes to some
own foods associated with it. Given the vio- civil servants on November 5th and specu-
lent and tragic nature of the Gunpowder lated that “if the custom could be traced back
Plot, it is not surprising that a number of to its origin, the cakes would be found to be
GHOST legends would be connected to the the old ‘soul-cakes.’”
event, including Fawkes’s at Scotton; con- BELL-ringing was also popular at Guy
spirator Robert Wintour’s wife Gertrude at Fawkes Day/Night, with instances dating
Huddington (she haunts “Lady Wintour’s back to at least 1627 (when a Northumber-
Walk” in the woods); and sympathizer land record book shows a payment made to
Stephen Littleton’s groom Gideon Grove, ringers for “Gowayes Day” on November
who escaped the havoc at Holbeach only to be 5th).In some areas of Britain (especially Lan-
caught and killed in some fenland near cashire and Yorkshire), November 5th bell
Wombourne, where his ghost now appears ringing was so popular that the day was
as a “phantom rider.” A whimsical supersti- called “Ringing day.” In Beverley, an annual
tion that prevails among the fishermen of hiring fair held each November 5th was
Hastings and Brighton is that shoals of HER- called “Ringing-day Fair.”
RINGS make their appearances off the coast Guy Fawkes experienced a surge in pop-
during this season because they come close to ularity when graphic novel writer Alan
shore to see the bonfires (fishermen claimed Moore turned him into the anti-fascist pro-
that herrings were first caught each year tagonist of his 1988 series V for Vendetta.
around the 5th or 6th of November). After the 2006 film of the series was released,
Foods distinctive to the holiday include Guy Fawkes masks and other memorabilia
“Bonfire Parkin,” a special heavy cake made became popular COLLECTIBLES.
of oatmeal (or flour), molasses (or treacle)
and ginger (in Leeds and other areas this Gypsies— Gypsies are a nomadic ethnic
cake was so popular that the holiday came to group who have become stereotyped as ro-
be known as “Parkin day”); “Thar” or “Tharf mantic fortune-tellers, and so their image
cake,” found in South Yorkshire, Lancashire, has frequently been incorporated into Hal-
and Derbyshire, and possibly named after an loween CELEBRATIONS since the early 20th
old Scandinavian celebration of the god century. Correctly identified as the Roma or
Thor; and there was even a candy known as Romani people, the name “gypsy” derived
“Plot Toffee” or “Bonfire Toffee” (the prin- from the fact that gypsies were mistakenly
cipal ingredients are butter and black trea- believed to have originally come from Egypt;
cle), although as referenced above this candy they actually originated in India approxi-
was also known as “Tom Trot” in some mately 1,000 years ago, and spread to Europe
areas. In Derbyshire, money was saved by A.D.1300 Many Romani immigrated to
throughout the year to make the tharf cakes, North America in the 19th century, until
Hair 98

1885, when Roma were officially excluded card decks), gypsies were also a popular
from U.S. immigration policy. source for Halloween parties: A 1932 book-
The stereotype of the gypsy was a care- let suggests, for example, a gypsy themed
free, exotic fortune-teller; the 1891 book party, with scarves draped over lamps and
Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune-Telling states that drawings of gypsy wagons on the walls.
“Gypsies…have done more than any class on A 1934 Halloween RECITATION clearly
the face of the earth to disseminate among connects gypsies, fortune-telling, and Hal-
the multitude a belief in fortune-telling…” As loween:
Halloween celebrations spread throughout To read the shadowed future
the U.S. in the late 19th-century, Scottish and A gypsy is quite good,
Irish FORTUNE-TELLING rituals associated with And crystal gazing, too,
the holiday were adapted as well, and the Will tell you what you would.
gypsy image became popular at holiday PAR- But for mysterious signs
TIES. A 1908 article from Good Housekeeping That nowhere else are seen,
places the gypsy squarely at the center of Hal- You must invite your future
The night of Hallowe’en.
loween festivities: “While the games of dip-
ping into saucers with mysterious mixtures Gypsy costumes, usually consisting of col-
and chewing thread in pursuit of RAISINS orful scarves, peasant blouses, and costume
went on one by one, the little WITCHES were jewelry, were popular with all age groups at
carried off to a dark corner to hear wonder- least until the 1950s, when commercially
ful fortunes read from their palms by a dark available costumes based on popular televi-
gypsy lady whom no one recognized as an sion series characters dominated the market.
older sister.” Gypsy COSTUMES were easy to Still, companies like Ben Cooper continued
make at home, and the gypsy was frequently to produce gypsy costumes (some with plas-
interchangeable with the witch. In addition tic masks of exotic female faces), and gyp-
to gypsy costumes and gypsy fortune telling sies remain popular choices for Halloween
paraphernalia (including various “Gypsy costumes to the present time.
Fortune Teller” or “Romany Fortune Teller”

H
Hair—An old English FORTUNE-TELLING cus- Fly, silken hair, fly all the world around
tom involves stealing out at MIDNIGHT on Until you reach the spot where my true love
Halloween, plucking a small lock of hair is found.
from one’s head, and hurling it to the night In another hair divination, at midnight
breeze; whichever direction it blows in indi- on Halloween a girl would brush her hair
cates which direction one’s future intended THREE times before a MIRROR; if the man who
will come from. Poet John Gay refers to this was to be her husband appeared in the mir-
custom in “Thursday, or the Spell” from his ror over her shoulder, she would be married
1714 The Shepherd’s Week: within the year.
I pluck this lock of hair from off my head Several divinations center on finding a
To tell whence comes the one that I shall hair in a PEAT (the color will indicate the hair
wed. color of one’s future spouse). Another in-
 99 Halloween Ladybug

Halloween Attractions—Not to be confused

with HAUNTED HOUSES, Halloween attractions
are seasonal outdoor attractions such as CORN
MAZES, PUMPKIN PATCHES, or haunted HAYRIDES;
they are considered a form of “agri-tourism”
or “agri-tainment.” Like haunted houses,
Halloween attractions charge admission and
appear for only a short time around Hal-
loween. There are estimated to be over 1,500
Halloween attractions annually, and they
have become an important source of revenue
for many small farms.
Halloween Bleeze— A Scottish name for
Halloween BONFIRES. In some descriptions,
Scottish Halloween bonfires are described as
being surrounded by a circular trench sym-
bolic of the sun. In Perthshire, the Halloween
bleeze is made when heath, broom and dress-
ings of flax are tied to a pole, which is then set
afire and carried about by local young men
(several were carried throughout the village
at the same time, making an impressive sight
on a dark evening).

This ¡923 postcard creates its own Halloween Halloween Crab (Gecarcinus quadrates)—
divination using hair. Also known as moon crabs, mouthless crabs,
and harlequin land crabs. A common noc-
volves writing different hair colors on pieces turnal land crab found in many areas along
of paper attached to three FEATHERS, and the Pacific coast of Central and South Amer-
blowing the feathers into the air; the one that ica (principally Costa Rica). These crabs de-
lands closest indicates the hair color of one’s rive their name from their black carapace and
future spouse. bright orange legs (they also have purple
It was thought to be good luck to find a claws), and from the coloring on the front of
hair from the “fro’ing stick” in the CROWDIE the carapace that gives them the appearance
on Halloween. of a JACK-O’-LANTERN face. Because of their
vivid coloring, they’re also sold as exotic
Hallow-Fair— A fair or market held at Hal- home terrarium pets. Not to be confused
loween. See CELEBRATIONS. with the Halloween hermit crab, a Hawaiian
crustacean named for its vivid orange and
Hallow-Fire—A BONFIRE lit in celebration of red banded legs, and also sold as an aquarium
Halloween. In 1799 the Statistical Account of pet.
Scotland noted that “the hallow fire, when
kindled, is attended by children only.” Halloween Ladybug (Harmonia axyridis)—
These harmless insects earn their name from
Hallow-Tide (also ALLANTIDE, HOLLANDTIDE, their black and orange coloring (rather than
all hallowentyde, hallen-tide)— The season the usual ladybug colors of black and red),
of ALL SAINTS’ or the first week of Novem- and from making an annual appearance in
ber. October. Originally from Asia, these tiny
Halloween Origins 100

beetles created a Halloween scare in Octo- apostrophe was dropped, leading to the con-
ber of 1995 when they began to swarm in temporary name for the holiday.
areas of the American Northeast in alarming Halloween is largely a combination of
numbers. They typically seek shelter during two celebrations: As a HARVEST festival, it is
October and November until the following similar to the American THANKSGIVING and
spring, and they began appearing in large the European MARTINMAS (which is cele-
numbers inside homes and other buildings. brated on the day once belonging to Hal-
Although deadly to harmful aphids, humans loween, November 11); and as a commemo-
need fear only one aspect of Halloween la- ration of the dead, it may have roots in the
dybugs: Their orange blood is extremely EGYPTIAN FEAST OF THE DEAD (which
foul-smelling, a usual defense tactic against mourned the passing of the sun god Osiris),
larger predators (including human house- the Greek ANTHESTERIA, and the Roman fes-
wives). tivals of both FERALIA and LEMURIA. Most
cultures celebrate a day in commemoration
Halloween Origins and Development— of their dead, and contemporary festivals in-
There are many names for Halloween, in- clude Japan’s BON, China’s YUE LAAN and
cluding Halloweve, Halleve, Hallowtide, CH’ING MING, and the American MEMORIAL
Hollandtide, Hallowmas, November Eve, DAY. However, for the last century it has
Holy Eve, Whistle Wassail Night, and Hal- been commonly accepted that Halloween’s
lowe’en. The modern name “Halloween” (for closest ancestors were two pre–Christian cel-
the festival celebrated on October 31) derives ebrations, the Celtic SAMHAIN and the Roman
from “All Hallows’ Even,” or the night before POMONA (both believed to have been held on
ALL SAINTS’ or “All Hallows’ Day.” The word or about November 1). With recent advances
“hallow” is from an early English word for in archaeology and folklore studies, we now
“holy,” and until about A.D. 1500 “hallow” know that many of the previous assertions
was a noun commonly applied to a holy per- were in error. For example, Samhain was
sonage or saint. “All Hallows’ Even” was first often described as being the name of the
abbreviated to “Hallowe’en,” and sometime Celtic “Lord of Death,” when in fact the
in the mid-twentieth century the use of the CELTS had no such deity and the name means
“summer’s end”; and there is
no festival for Pomona (a
minor wood-nymph or hama-
dryad) in the old Roman cal-
endar. Samhain was tradition-
ally a time when animals were
slaughtered at the approach of
winter, and the 1848 Five Hun-
dred Points of Good Husbandry
by Thomas Tusser notes:
At Hallowtide, slaughter time
entereth in,
And then doth the husband-
man’s feasting begin.

Likewise, the Statistical Ac-

count of Scotland from 1793
A nineteenth-century engraving entitled “All-Hallow Eve in says of one parish (Forfar):
Kilkenny, Ireland” by Edmund Fitzgerald. “…between Hallowmass and
 101 Halloween Origins

Christmass, when the people laid in their Modern Halloween also owes a consid-
winter provisions, about twenty-four beeves erable debt to the English GUY FAWKES DAY
were killed in a week…” (November 5), which may have given Hal-
Recent scholarship on Halloween has loween some of its rowdier aspects. Prior to
waged a heavy debate concentrating on the establishment of Guy Fawkes Day on
whether the holiday owes its character to the 1606, the few references to Halloween that
pagan Samhain or to the Christian All Saints’ appear mention SOUL CAKES, BELLS and even
Day (and the subsequent November 2 cele- BOBBING FOR APPLES; PRANKING doesn’t seem to
bration of ALL SOULS’ DAY). However, it appear until after the introduction of Guy
seems difficult to ignore the large differences Fawkes Day, which was celebrated during
between the way the holiday is still celebrated Protestant times when Halloween itself was
in Celtic areas such as Ireland (with BONFIRES, banned as too Catholic or “popish.” Folk-
PRANKING and GUISING), and the way it is cel- lorist JACK SANTINO has conducted interviews
ebrated throughout the rest of Europe (with with contemporary Irish natives who liter-
sober church services and grave decorating). ally don’t know whether they celebrate Hal-
Furthermore in some parts of Ireland the day loween or Guy Fawkes Day.
is still referred to as Samhain, ample testi- Until 1582, Europe operated under the
mony to that pagan festival’s endurance. Julian calendar, instituted by Julius Caesar;
In Ireland, Halloween is often con- however, the Julian Calendar actually made
nected to FAIRIES, who may also represent each year 11 minutes too long, amounting to
relics of Samhain. Alexander Montgomerie’s an entire day in 128 years. By 1582, the cal-
sixteenth-century poem “Flyting against endar was 10 days off, making it difficult to
Polwait” shows the connection between reconcile religious days (which were often
fairies (or “gude ncybouris,” according to calculated by phases of the moon —for ex-
Montgomerie) and Halloween: ample, Easter is celebrated on the first Sun-
day after the full moon next following the
In the hinderend of harvest, on allhallow
evin, vernal equinox) with civil days and seasonal
Quhen our gude ncyhbouris rydis, if I reid changes. On October 5, 1582, Pope Gregory
rycht, XIII instituted a new calendar, and ordered
Sum buklit on ane bwnwyd and sum on ane that the day should be changed to the 15th
bene, (Gregory’s system gives the average year 26
Ay trippand in troupes fra the twilycht; extra seconds). However, because the Gre-
Sum saidlit on a scho-aip all graithit in grene, gorian calendar was considered Catholic,
Sum hobland on hempstalkis hovand on some areas of Europe were longer in adopt-
hicht,
ing it than others; in England, for example,
The King of Phairie and his court with the
elph-quene, it was not accepted until 1751, a decision
With many elrich incubus was rydand that which caused many Protestants to demand
nycht. the return of their 11 days.
(“Buklit” = mounted; “bwnwyd” = ragweed; One of the earliest records of a Hal-
“scho-aip” = she-ape; “graithit” = arrayed) loween party appears in 1629, and was
recorded in the journals of eminent lawyer,
And George Macdonald’s poem “Hallowe’en” writer, and parliamentarian Bulstrode
demonstrates that GHOSTS (or possibly fairies Whitelocke. Even though the Protestant king
again) prevailed in Scotland on Halloween: Charles I was in power, Whitelocke’s records
It’s the nicht atween the Sancts and Souls and biography describe an evening of danc-
When the bodiless gang aboot, ing in St. Dunstan’s Tavern: “…on All-hal-
An’ it’s open hoose we keep the nicht lows day, which the Templars considered the
For ony that may be oot. beginning of Christmas, the master, as soon
Halloween Origins 102

as the evening was come, entered the hall, million Irish left the country (joining over a
followed by sixteen revelers. They were million who had left during the actual famine
proper, handsome young gentlemen, habited years); 80 percent of these emigrants came
in rich suits, shoes and stockings, hats and to America. Over the next half-century, Hal-
great feathers. The master led them in a bar- loween gained in popularity and was cele-
gown, with a white staff in his hand, the brated largely as a harvest festival, with hay
music playing before them. They began with rides, corn-husking, and BOBBING FOR APPLES,
the old masques; after that they danced…till and it was enjoyed almost completely by
it grew very late.” This was nearly twenty adults. Strangely enough, as Halloween was
years before Parliament — in 1647 — abol- on the ascendant in America, it was declin-
ished all festivals but Guy Fawkes Day. ing in Great Britain and Ireland, where the
The importance of Halloween in mod- practice of bonfires was dying out, partly be-
ern Irish society is shown by the fact that cause they had inspired considerable
schools have a Halloween break; and the drunken violence and partly because many
Monday nearest to Halloween is recognized locales had simply stripped the areas of burn-
as a bank holiday in the Republic of Ireland. able brush. A small piece from the Novem-
Up until the early twentieth century, Hal- ber 1, 1876 edition of the New York Times
loween was held in greater significance than suggests that “the glory of this once popular
CHRISTMAS in Ireland. In parts of Ireland the festival has departed.” Nevertheless, Hal-
term “Old Halleve” refers to November 12. loween had started to spread out from Amer-
In Scotland, the famed ROBERT BURNS ican Scots-Irish enclaves into the VICTORIAN
poem “Hallowe’en” (1785) suggests that Hal- middle class, who found its divination cus-
loween was still popularly celebrated there toms quaint; middle-class periodicals such
through the close of the 18th century. But by as Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine and
1833, Scots seem to have consigned the hol- Harper’s Monthly Magazine began to describe
iday to children, as this description from Halloween festivities and offered tips on
Scottish explorer Captain J. E. Alexander hosting seasonal PARTIES. What was probably
suggests (this was written as Alexander made the first Halloween book, MARTHA RUSSELL
his way through Canada): “We spent the eve- ORNE’s 48-page Hallowe’en: How to Celebrate
ning of Halloween among drowned woods It, was published in 1898, indicating that the
and swamps and a deluge of rain whilst we holiday had firmly settled into the middle
recounted the legends and ghost stories with class of America.
which the Scottish crones are wont to affright By the end of the nineteenth century,
their juvenile audience on that dreaded night the Irish love of Halloween pranking had
and then had a round of music.” spread to American youngsters, who roamed
Although Guy Fawkes Day was cele- the countryside on this night, removing
brated in America up until the end of the GATES , tipping outhouses and frightening
nineteenth century (and despite the emigra- farmhouse inhabitants. As the country be-
tion of over a quarter of a million Ulster- came more industrialized, pranking moved
Scots to America in the eighteenth century), into the cities; at first it retained an innocent
Halloween was almost completely forgotten nature, with egg-throwing, CHALKING and
until the influx of Irish and Scottish immi- NOISEMAKERS the favored pastimes, but it
grants in the mid-nineteenth century, dri- quickly became more destructive, with lights
ven here largely by the Potato Famine from broken, fires set and pedestrians tripped.
1846 to 1852. (Another current debate stems This “rowdyism” reached a peak during the
over which of these ethnic groups was like- Great Depression, forcing many Eastern
lier to have brought Halloween to America.) American cities to take action.
Even after the famine had ended, another six When curfews and increased police
 103 Halloween Origins

presence proved ineffective, the

cities began to institute instead
alternative forms of entertain-
ment for children. Costuming
and parties had become popu-
lar adult Halloween activities
during the first decades of the
twentieth-century, and so these
ideas were now transferred to
children. Youth groups such as
the Boy Scouts and the YMCA
organized parties and carnivals,
and parents were also encour-
aged to join forces (since this This ¡928 postcard shows a young prankster getting the
was the Depression and money upper hand over an authority figure.
was spare) to provide private
entertainments. Combine this with the GUIS- the same time its popularity with two sub-
ING and MUMMING traditions of Halloween cultures was gaining: The GAYS claimed the
(and Guy Fawkes Day), and the popular day for themselves with PARADES such as the
American TRICK OR TREAT was born, effec- one in Greenwich Village; and the NEO-PA-
tively replacing destructive pranking. Mean- GANS (who were energized by the 1979 release
while, adult celebrations of Halloween were of Margot Adler’s Drawing Down the Moon)
on the decline, possibly due to Prohibition tried to transform the day into a deeply-felt
(1920 to 1933). celebration of the ancestors.
Trick or treat also gave rise to the com- By the 1990s, trick or treat seemed to be
mercialization and marketing of Halloween on the rise again, only to be dealt another
in America (although the custom spread blow, this time by fundamentalist Christian
slightly to European countries as well). groups who believed the holiday celebrated
Masks, COSTUMES, candies, decorations, the DEVIL. In literally hundreds of web sites
lanterns and more all brought millions of and books, these groups spread their belief
dollars to RETAILING; by the end of the twen- that costuming and even carrying JACK-O’-
tieth century, Halloween was second only to LANTERNS constituted sins; however, their
Christmas in the amount of holiday dollars “proof ” was drawn almost entirely from in-
(six billion) spent on it. accurate and obsolete sources, such as Ralph
By the 1960s, the first URBAN LEGENDS of and Adelin Linton’s 1950 Halloween through
dangers to trick or treaters began to surface, Twenty Centuries. Halloween survives, how-
and by the 1980s children were being en- ever, probably in large part because, as Jack
couraged to avoid trick or treating, because Santino suggests in his introduction to Hal-
of poisoned candy or razor blades hidden in loween and Other Festivals of Death and Life,
apples by anonymous malefactors (ironically, it serves a purpose in the calendrical cycle:
this craze may have been fueled by the pub- Images of birth (at Christmas) are followed
lic’s fascination with the decade’s “slasher” by images of growth and fertility (spring and
horror films, a cycle begun by JOHN CARPEN- Easter), and then by images of death (at Hal-
TER’s Halloween). Even though there was not loween). The holiday also has a special
a single documented incident of an anony- meaning for twentieth- and twenty-first-
mous psychotic killing a child, the public century children: Sociologists and folklorists
bought into the scare and Halloween as a day have suggested that trick or treating is an in-
for children began to decline. However, at version of the usual power structure, the one
Halloween Room 104

day a year when children are “officially li- the fall equinox, with forty days being sym-
censed” to have power over adults. It is also bolic of rebirth and new life.
the first real holiday in the American school
Halloween Room (Biltmore Estate)—The
year, and even though there is no school
Biltmore estate in Asheville, NC (often re-
break for the holiday in the U.S. (save for in
ferred to as “America’s largest home”) was
the state of Louisiana), it nevertheless repre-
built on 125,000 acres of land by George Van-
sents the first occasion for merrymaking
derbilt in 1895. The downstairs area contains
after the beginning of the school year.
the Halloween Room (named after a holiday
In 2001, many journalists predicted a
party once held there), a former storage area
disastrous Halloween in the wake of the Sep-
that was transformed into a party room by
tember 11 terrorist attacks on the United
John Cecil and Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil in
States, but instead the holiday enjoyed its
1924. The history of the Halloween room re-
biggest year ever, with record numbers in re-
mains somewhat shrouded in mystery; one
tailing, parties, parades and trick or treating.
story has it that the room once housed a 26-
These amazing statistics attested to the hol-
day party, celebrating Cornelia’s 26th birth-
iday’s adaptability and unshakable en-
day in 1926. At one party, guests were en-
trenchment in America. The American con-
couraged to paint on the walls, and the room
ception of Halloween — especially trick or
is still decorated with these images, many of
treating—has also spread to other countries;
which depict Russian fairy tales (which were
for example PUMPKIN and jack-o’-lantern
popular in the 1920s).
decorations have become popular in Ger-
many and Austria. Trick-or-treating is still Halloween Sadism— Term applied by some
uncommon in Europe, but parties are pop- folklorists and sociologists to contemporary
ular. Not all of Europe is welcoming the ar- events such as supposed poisoning of TRICK
rival of this largely American holiday, how- OR TREAT candy or placement of razor blades
ever; for example, Polish and Austrian in APPLES. See URBAN LEGENDS.
church leaders attacked the newly-imported
customs in 2001, saying they were “humili- Hallowmas (also allhallowmass, hallomese,
ating” and “alien to our traditions.” Simi- halumes, hollomass, hallamas, Hallowmas-
larly, church leaders in Mexico denounced day)— Specifically, the feast of ALL SAINTS’.
the holiday there in favor of their own DAYS Shakespeare uses this term in Richard II:
OF THE DEAD. She came adored hither like sweet May;
In his essay “Carnival, Control, and Sent back like Hallowmas, or short’st of day.
Corporate Culture in Contemporary Hal-
SIR WALTER SCOTT uses “Hallow-Mass Eve” in
loween Celebrations,” Russell W. Belk sug-
his poem “ST. SWITHIN’S CHAIR.”
gests that “Halloween may be becoming
co-opted in subtle ways by being trans- Hallowmass Rades— A Scottish phrase re-
formed into a vehicle for nurturing corpo- ferring to a Halloween gathering of WITCHES.
rate and consumer cultures,” but he also be- A powerful kin of Satan called “the Gyre Car-
lieves that the holiday’s “…participative line” was said to preside over these “trysts”;
humor … invigorates it and contributes to she carried a wand so powerful that it was
its longevity.” claimed that on one Halloween, when an-
One of the most fanciful explanations gered over a high tide that had interrupted a
for the origins of Halloween is found in the “rade,” she’d actually turned part of a bay
work of philosopher and theosophist Alvin into dry land. The Scots put enough credence
Boyd Kuhn, who suggested that the date of into this belief that they occasionally dated
October 31st was chosen as a festival day be- important events from their relation to these
cause of its position exactly forty days after “rades”—i.e., “I was christened o’ the Sunday
 105 Harvest

after Tibbie Fleucher’s Hallowmass rade.” A and placed in small boxes. The boxes were
traditional story set on LOCHERBRIGG HILL de- taken home for one night, where offerings of
scribes a Hallowmass rade and a young man FOOD were made; the family feasted, and
who escapes from one. finally the box with the bones was returned
to a special “house” (or ossuary) in the
Hanal Pixan— Traditional Mayan celebra- GRAVEYARD. In the mestizo-populated city of
tion of the dead that was combined with Hoctun, some of the inhabitants still open
Catholic practices to form the contemporary tombs and sarcophagi each year during
DAY OF THE DEAD celebration, which occurs Hanal Pixan to clean the bones of their an-
in the southeast areas of Mexico (principally cestors.
Yucatan) from October 31st to November The Yucatan state capital of Merida has
8th. “Hanal Pixan” translates roughly as “the made a profitable industry out of the yearly
soul’s path through the essence of food,” and Hanal Pixan celebration, holding altar con-
the celebration features a number of specific tests and presenting performances by the
FOODS; it also incorporates certain aspects of local ballet folklorico. Recently, Halloween
Mayan burial practice (which occurred in features have begun to appear in October 31st
the home), and the Mayan belief that the uni- celebrations, with some merchants now sell-
verse was square (represented in hanal pixan ing COSTUMES and plastic JACK-O’-LANTERNS.
altars). The first day, October 31st, is devoted See also MICCAILHUITL AND MICCAIL-
to the souls of children, who are offered HUITONTLI.
chicken stew, pumpkin sweets, chocolate,
Harrows—“Passin’ the Harrow” was a Hal-
and other sugary treats (spicier foods are
loween FORTUNE-TELLING practice in Shet-
avoided). On November 1st, the celebrations
land, one which supposedly foretold not just
switch to adult spirits, who are offered el
a future spouse’s identity but far more of the
balche, a drink made from tree bark, and
future. The practice consisted of placing
mucbil chicken, a sort of tamale pie which
THREE harrows spaced some distance apart
requires days of preparation and is cooked
outside the open door of a barn; at MIDNIGHT
buried in the earth. Rosaries are said (de-
on Halloween, the one who wished to know
pending on the location, the rosary may be
his fortune was blindfolded, and then walked
spoken in both Mayan and Spanish), and vis-
into the yard BACKWARDS, where he stepped
its are made to the cemetery. After eight days,
over the three harrows and finally through a
the souls are feted a final time before they de-
barn window. At the end of this ritual, the
part, this time with a special tamale called
individual would supposedly fall into a
chachak-wah. Presentation of the food is also
trance state and receive visions, which were
important, and usually incorporates a de-
never revealed to anyone else.
ceased loved one’s favorite drink and even
cigarettes; usually soap and a bowl of water Harvest—At its most basic level, Halloween
are provided, for the visiting dead to wash is one-part commemoration of the dead and
their hands. The tablecloth is typically white, one-part harvest celebration. In the Celtic
with a green crucifix in the center, which also calendar SAMHAIN was the day that livestock
ties into the Mayan belief of the ceiba tree as were brought in from the fields, marking the
the pillars of the sky. end of an old year. Typically, harvest had
In the past, hanal pixan also incorpo- been completed about a month earlier, but
rated unique burial practices: From Novem- modern-day Halloween celebrants in Ireland
ber 2 through November 9, the bones of any often associate harvest with Halloween,
who had been interred within the last two or which is when crops of CABBAGE, potatoes
three years were removed (to make room for and CORN have completed harvest. In Amer-
new burials); the bones were cleaned, blessed ica, the association of corn, PUMPKINS, gourds
Harvest Thanksgiving 106

and APPLES with the holiday bring up definite Harvest Thanksgiving—A day celebrated in
harvest associations. Early twentieth-century CHURCHES of different denominations (ex-
Halloween artwork also often shows an- cept Roman Catholic) throughout Ireland
thropomorphized vegetable people, in addi- from mid– to late–October. The celebration
tion to depictions of cornstalks and har- was instituted in 1843 as a means of bringing
vested fields. In late nineteenth-century drunken harvest celebrations into the
Ireland, Halloween was sometimes called church, where harvest thanksgiving services
“the Feast of the autumn.” are behind only Christmas and Easter in
Harvest figures are a traditional Hal- popularity. This unofficial religious festival is
loween decoration; SCARECROWS are espe- usually observed on a Sunday in September
cially popular in America, even though they or October after the harvest is gathered. Cus-
serve no practical purpose (since there are toms include decorating the churches with
no crops left to protect). The most popular fruit, FLOWERS and vegetables, which are later
harvest figure was once the CORN DOLLY, donated to charity. Special hymns are sung,
made from the last sheaves of corn; contem- and there is frequently a visiting preacher. In
porary scarecrows are still made of corn medieval England, LAMMAS DAY (August 1)
stalks, but usually also include old clothing was probably recognized as a thanksgiving
with a pumpkin head. These modern figures for the first fruits and wheat; this custom was
are typically surrounded by other Halloween revived by R. S. Hawker at Morwenstow,
symbols, such as JACK-O’-LANTERNS, WITCHES Cornwall in 1843. The American Prayer Book
and gourds (in “The Folk Assemblage of Au- of 1789 already contained a form of thanks-
tumn: Tradition and Creativity in Halloween giving for the fruits of the earth that was used
Folk Art,” JACK SANTINO calls these collec- on THANKSGIVING Day (which is officially ob-
tions Halloween assemblages and suggests served on the fourth Thursday in Novem-
that, even though they may include store- ber).
bought items such as paper SKELETONS or
plastic jack-o’-lanterns, the overall assem-Haunted Houses— Haunted houses (which
blage represents an authentic FOLK ART). are distinguished from HALLOWEEN ATTRAC-
TIONS such as CORN MAZES and
PUMPKIN PATCHES ) have be-
come one of the most popular
Halloween activities in North
America, ranging from small
yard displays all the way up to
SPOOKY WORLD, which calls it-
self “America’s Halloween
amusement park.” Why the
popularity of these attractions
exploded in the 1970s is un-
certain, but the boom was
probably fueled by a decrease
in TRICK OR TREATING, an in-
crease in adult (and teen) cel-
ebration of the holiday, and
the increased gore in horror
Padded room from Rich Hanf ’s 2004 “House of the Living films. Recent estimates put the
Dead” haunted attraction (photograph courtesy of Rich number of haunted attractions
Hanf ) charging admission at some-
 107 Haunted Houses

where over 2,000 (with an ad-

ditional 1,000 charity attrac-
tions, usually open on Hal-
loween or a few days around
the holiday). The entire Hal-
loween attraction industry
(which includes Halloween at-
tractions and haunted attrac-
tions) is estimated to gross
over one billion dollars annu-
ally.
Haunted houses gener-
ally feature a number of dif-
ferent rooms or exhibits, with
mazes that visitors must pass
through in between. They tend “Knott’s Scary Farm” (photograph courtesy of Knott’s)
to center on three themes—
the classic monster (vampires, werewolves, Haunted Attractions, or IAHA for short,
ghosts, zombies, etc.), the completely unique formed in 1999), their own books, videos,
horror (an evil dentist, demented clowns), employee handbooks, and safety manual (the
or the recreation of a very particular movie latter put out by IAHA), and hundreds of
monster or scene. They also range in size companies that cater to the industry. They
from simple front-yard exhibits to amuse- also have their own trade shows, dominated
ment parks made over for Halloween. In the by TransWorld’s annual Halloween, Cos-
latter category, the best known are probably tume and Party Show, with more than 15,000
Knott’s Berry Farm in Southern California, attendees, TransWorld features more than
whose “Knott’s Scary Farm” started in 1973 700 suppliers, and dozens of free seminars.
and also features stage shows and rides; and TransWorld also hosts a National Haunt and
Universal Studios, which has presented some Attractions Show, which is usually held in
unique exhibits in the past, including one conjunction with the “HCP” convention.
designed by famed horror writer Clive Barker Haunted houses evolved during the
(however, in 2001 Universal dropped its Hal- 1990s and 2000s from amateur productions
loween plans in the aftermath of the 9/11 ter- in which the main scare was provided by ac-
rorist attacks). Some haunted houses, such tors, to complex and expensive events fea-
as Akron, Ohio’s Haunted Schoolhouse and turing “movie quality special effects.” Many
Haunted Laboratory, have emphasized a mix attractions boast hydraulic creatures, motion
of these themes; others, such as the Muckle- sensors, foot-pedal triggers which activate
bones’ Monster Museum in Marian, Ohio, animatronic creatures or motorized props,
focus on film recreations (included here are special makeup effects and sets created by
Psycho, The Shining and Nosferatu). Hollywood artists (many of whom have
Haunted houses are now a cottage in- found profitable employment in the haunted
dustry unto themselves, with professional at- industry as computer effects have phased out
tractions, full-time professional “haunters,” their film work), animation and CGI effects,
and “home haunters” (or those who merely and 3D effects requiring glasses.
dress up their yards extensively) to cater to. Professional haunters like Rich Hanf —
They have their own journals (Haunted At- author of the “Haunted Attraction Employee
traction magazine), their own trade organi- Handbook” and creator of how-to videos—
zation (the International Association of work year-round designing attractions, mar-
Haunted Houses 108

keting, and attending haunters’ conventions his favorite monsters, with help from his par-
and industry shows. In 2010, there were an ents, and opened in October 1966. Over the
estimated 2,500 full-time professional years he has honed his skills with the help of
haunters in the U.S. make-up icons John Chambers and Dick
In the 1990s, the pinnacle of haunted Smith, and such film stars as Vincent Price,
houses was probably Utah’s Rocky Point, June Foray, Mark Hamill and John Agar have
which was voted number one by both Fright recorded voice tracks for the Dungeon. Now
Times and Fangoria magazines in 1999. Su- his exhibit includes very authentic and de-
pervised by Cydney Neil, Rocky Point was tailed renderings of the eponymous stars of
begun by her brother Neil Crabtree in 1979, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Fly,
then eventually moved from its original lo- Dracula, The Mummy, and many more. Hull
cation (in an old restaurant built by Neil and estimates that he receives around 1,500 visi-
Cydney’s father) and became two very large tors a year.
shows, with locations in both Ogden and Salt On the West Coast, the king of Hal-
Lake City. In 2000 Rocky Point added over 50 loween movie recreations was undoubtedly
new sets, covering over 50,000 square feet. Bob Burns. Sometimes referred to as “the
Exhibits included the “Slasher Wax Mu- Godfather of Halloween,” Burns is a lifelong
seum,” “Psycho Circus in 3-D,” and the “Bat monster fan and mask collector who started
Caves.” Open for about six weeks before his Halloween presentations in 1967, with a
Halloween, Rocky Point entertained over recreation of Frankenstein’s laboratory in his
70,000 each season, and was a major living room. Being located in Burbank, Cal-
fundraiser for local charities. Rocky Point ifornia, allowed Burns to enlist the help of
ended its run in 2006. many special movie effects wizards over the
In 2009, the Guinness Book of World years, including Academy Award winners
Records awarded the Cutting Edge haunted Dennis Muran and Rick Baker. Growing big-
house in Fort Worth, Texas, the title of ger every year, Burns’s yard and house dis-
“Largest Walk-Through Horror House.” plays have included tributes to Forbidden
With 235,000 square feet, the Cutting Edge Planet, This Island Earth, The Creature from
employs 150 actors and crew members, and the Black Lagoon, The Time Machine and The
takes over an hour to traverse. Exorcist.
According to Hauntworld Magazine, In the category of unique haunted
the best haunted house for 2008 and 2009 house displays, certainly one of the most un-
was Baton Rouge’s 13th Gate. The attraction usual — and most beautiful — was the Hal-
is noted for its elaborate sets, which occupy lowed Haunting Grounds in Studio City,
40,000 square feet of both indoor and out- California. Begun in 1973 and inspired in
door space, and focus on 13 different themed large part by Disneyland’s “Haunted Man-
areas. Owner and designer Dwayne Sanburn sion,” the Hallowed Haunting Grounds em-
also emphasizes his 80 actors, many of whom phasized quietly spooky ghost effects (or
are professional actors or theater majors what is known in the haunted house trades as
from local universities. a “soft yard haunt”). A peek into the win-
Probably the most elaborate and dows of the house revealed the transparent
longest-running of the haunted houses of- shade of a little girl, a ghostly organist, and
fering film recreations is the Witch’s Dun- the disembodied head of a medium; the front
geon in Bristol, Connecticut. It was started yard held bulging crypts, statuary that
over 40 years ago by Cortlandt Hull, a film seemed to watch you, and a hooded monk
buff whose great uncle Henry Hull had releasing sparkling spirits from a well. Hal-
starred in the 1935 film Werewolf of London. lowed Haunting Grounds (which was free)
Hull began by creating full-sized models of closed in 2005. In 2007, a yard haunt known
 109 Hearth

as The House at Haunted Hill

opened just a few minutes
from the former site of the
Hallowed Haunting Ground,
and featured even more elabo-
rate effects, with animated
projections, an original score,
and a complete story involv-
ing a 1930s starlet whose mar-
riage has gone horribly wrong.
Some haunted houses
even become works of art unto
themselves: For example, a
haunted farm in Pennsylvania
once invited local artists to de-
A ghostly organist and harpist perform in the music room of
sign different rooms, an idea the Hallowed Haunting Grounds (photograph courtesy of
which resulted in such unique Hallowed Haunting Grounds).
creations as a bathroom fea-
turing a maze of pipes and “the larger destination point which also includes
Plunger Man.” Airbrush artist Stuart Smith PUMPKIN PATCHES and CORN MAZES, in addi-
has provided spectacular art for Rocky tion to such activities as face-painting,
Point’s “Psycho Circus in 3-D,” as well as games, and JACK-O’-LANTERN carving.
other haunted attractions. Hayrides were popular activities in rural Hal-
Haunted houses have also recently been loween celebrations of the nineteenth cen-
transmogrified into “morality plays” by some tury, when a hayride to a party was com-
Christian organizations; these “HELL HOUSES” monplace. Now “haunted hayrides” are
feature the same extreme scares and gore included in many large-scale Halloween CEL-
found in other haunted houses, but present EBRATIONS such as SPOOKY WORLD.
them with the goal of literally scaring their
Hazelnuts— Although virtually all NUTS can
patrons into religion.
be used in Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING,
The haunted house is also a popular
hazelnuts had special significance to the
motif in Halloween COLLECTIBLES, offered as
CELTS: FINN MACCUMAL ate the salmon of
cardboard wall decorations, porcelain pieces,
knowledge and gained knowledge that came
signed and limited art prints, and GAMES. See
from the nuts of the nine hazels of wisdom
also TRAILS OF TERROR.
that grow beside the well that is below the
Hawthorn— It was once thought dangerous sea.
to sit beneath a hawthorn tree on MAY DAY or Hazelnuts are also the specified charm
Halloween because FAIRIES were attracted to in John Gay’s oft-quoted lines from his
them. mock-pastoral The Shepherd’s Week (“Thurs-
day, or the Spell”):
Hayrides— Hayrides— which typically in-
volve loading paying customers into a wagon Two hazel nuts I threw into the flame,
or truck full of hay for a short ride around a And to each nut I gave a sweetheart’s name:
farm or rural area — may be seasonal or This with the loudest bounce me sore
specifically HALLOWEEN ATTRACTIONS, and amaz’d,
That in a flame of brightest colour blaz’d…
have become commonplace “agri-tourism”
or “agri-tainment” for farmers across the Hearth— In some areas of Ireland, one Hal-
United States. Hayrides may be part of a loween custom was to leave chairs near the
“Hell Houses” 110

hearth (which was laid with coals) on Hal- completely omit the harrowing, and here the
loween, for returning souls to warm them- rhyme ends with, “come after me, and har-
selves. The hearth is also involved in some row thee.”Another version states that the
FORTUNE-TELLING practices, including those hemp seed must be sowed by a young woman
involving NUTS and writing names on the over NINE ridges of ploughed land, saying “I
CHIMNEY. sow hemp seed, and he who is to be my hus-
band, let him come and harrow it”; over her
“Hell Houses”— Perhaps the most bizarre
left shoulder she would see the figure of her
manifestation of church opposition to Hal-
future husband. In northeast Scotland lint
loween is to be found in the Christian “Hell
seed was used instead.
Houses.” Created by the Pentecostal Abun-
In his poem “Hallowe’en,” R OBERT
dant Life Christian Center in Colorado,
BURNS describes the custom:
“Hell Houses” are presented as Halloween
HAUNTED HOUSES, but in place of the usual Then up gat fechtin Jamie Fleck,
monsters and tableaux they feature depic- An’ he swoor by his conscience,
tions of acts believed to be anti-religious or That he could saw hemp-seed a peck;
sinful: Gruesome abortions, drug addiction, For it was a’ but nonsense;
AIDS victims, etc. They typically end with The auld guidman raught down the pock,
An’ out a handful gied him;
the appearance of the DEVIL, and offer guests
Syne bad him slip fra ‘mang the folk
a chance to be “saved” instead. In 1996 there Sometimes when nae ane see’d him:
were approximately 300 variations of these An’ try’t that night.
lurid presentations across the country, draw-
ing an estimated 700,000 visitors. One such As Jamie sows the hemp seed, he calls out:
attraction, located in Cedar Hill, Texas, is Hemp-seed I saw thee,
the subject of George Ratliff ’s critically-ac- An’ her that is to be my lass,
claimed 2002 documentary Hell House (this Come after me, and draw thee,
particular haunted house generated a great As fast this night.
deal of controversy in 1999 by including a
scene depicting the Columbine high school The skeptical Jamie gets his come-uppance,
shootings). however, when he is startled by an appari-
tion that turns out to be “Grumphie,” or a
Hemp Seed—Hemp was traditionally grown SOW.
in Scotland for its fiber, and the sowing of Another version of this divination dic-
the seed was a favorite FORTUNE-TELLING cus- tates that a girl must go at MIDNIGHT on Hal-
tom there. To perform this divination, it was loween to a churchyard, and while tossing
necessary to first steal out of the house un- hemp seed over the left shoulder recite:
noticed on Halloween night, go to a FIELD
and there sow a handful of hemp seed, har- Hempseed I sow, hempseed, grow.
He that is to marry me,
rowing it with anything that could be easily
Come after me and mow.
drawn. While performing the harrowing, the
following words must be repeated: “Hemp The spirit of her future husband will then
seed I saw thee, hemp seed I saw thee; and appear carrying a scythe. If no spirit appears,
him (or her) that is to be my true love, come the girl will not marry soon; if a COFFIN ap-
after me and pou thee.” At some point a pears, the girl will die before she can marry.
glance over the left shoulder would reveal the William Black’s 1890 story “A Hal-
FETCH of the future spouse, in the act of loween Wraith” refers to hemp-seed sowing
pulling hemp. In some versions of the cus- as “one form of incantation which is known
tom, the rhyme ends instead with, “come to be extremely, nay, terribly potent, when
after me and shaw thee”; other variations all others have failed” (and the young lady
 111 Hogmanay

performing the ritual expects to be “terribly Collegeville offered hobo outfits (complete
frightened”). with plastic masks, derby hat, and oversized
bow tie), and party guides continued to sug-
Herne. The Hunter see Spectre Huntsman
gest hobo-themed Halloween parties, which
Herring—One Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING usually came with menus of beans, hot dogs,
custom involved eating a whole SALT herring and POPCORN, and activities which included
(bones and all) in THREE mouthfuls, then guests making their own NOISEMAKERS. Com-
silently retiring to bed; the future spouse will mercially made hobo costumes are still pop-
appear in a DREAM to offer WATER to quench ular, and are now made for both male and
the resulting thirst. female hoboes.
Hindu see Holi Hogmanay— Scottish NEW YEAR’S celebra-
Hoboes— Like the Halloween images of the tion which involved house-to-house begging
GYPSY and the CLOWN, the American hobo is and may have been a forerunner of Hal-
an anarchic, outsider figure who has been loween TRICK-OR-TREAT customs.
important to American Halloween CELEBRA- Hogmanay was sometimes described as
TIONS since the beginning of the 20th cen-
the most important day in the Scottish cal-
tury, inspiring both COSTUMES and PARTY ac- endar and was celebrated with a number of
tivities. rituals, including the common New Year’s
The hobo is an impoverished laborer Day custom of “first-footing” (meaning that
who wanders from town to town in search the household’s luck for the coming year
of food and employment. The American would be determined by the first visitor to
hobo originated after the Civil War, and the enter that day), and GUISING or MUMMING
number and visibility of hoboes increased practices. Some describe groups of young
tremendously with the expansion of the men who went house-to-house on New
American railroad (which grew from 30,000 Year’s Eve, blowing horns to announce their
miles in 1860 to 230,000 miles in 1890). It coming, demanding gifts of food or money,
was during roughly this same time that Hal- and offering a good luck charm or a blessing
loween celebrations moved from rural loca- on the house in return. Other areas record
tions (mainly those occupied by Scottish and children in COSTUMES who went house-to-
Irish immigrants) to the American middle house, begging treats of oatcake or bannock
class. During the first two decades of the 20th (in fact the day was sometimes known as
century, hoboes were popular figures in “Cake-day”), while reciting a rhyme:
American culture (especially comic strips), Hogmanay!
and they were frequently depicted as happy, Trollolay!
clown-like figures in ragged clothing. This Give us your white bread
image quickly found its way into Halloween And none of your grey.
celebrations, especially since it offered the Get up, gude wife, and shake your feathers,
appeal of a costume that was simple to make And do not think that we are beggars.
For we are bairns come out to play
at home—charcoal might be used to smudge
Get up and gie’s our Hogmanay.
the face, and tattered castoff clothing com-
pleted the outfit. The “Carmina Gaedelica” shows that curses
Although the number of hoboes and were invoked on homes that didn’t treat their
their popularity greatly declined after the Hogmanay holiday visitors.
Great Depression of the 1930s, the image The term Hogmanay has been recorded
continued to be a popular one at Halloween. since the seventeenth century, and probably
During the 1950s, as Halloween costuming derives from the old French aguillanneuf, “to
became commercialized, manufacturers like the mistletoe to new year.” It has been sug-
Holi 112

gested that this may be a descendant of some records noted that the Manx celebrated
DRUID New Year’s or SAMHAIN rituals in- Halloween with references to HOGMANAY,
volving MISTLETOE, but there is unfortunately another account records a form of MUMMING
no proof to support this intriguing idea. that involved specific Hollantide references
and RHYMING:
Holi—Hindu festival held in India on the fif-
teenth day of the light half of the moon, in This is old Hollantide night;
the Hindu month of Phalguna (usually The moon shines fair and bright;
March). Although this is a spring festival, it I went to the well
And drank my fill;
is sometimes called the Hindu Halloween. For
On the way coming back
a week before Holi, boys go door-to-door I met a pole-cat;
collecting fuel for BONFIRES, which are lighted The cat began to grin
on Holi night with horns, drums and dancing. And I began to run;
At sunrise water is poured on the embers, and Where did you run to?
people dip their fingers into the warm ASHES I ran to Scotland;
and mark their foreheads for luck. The day is What were they doing there?
sometimes called the “Festival of Colors” be- Baking bannocks and roasting collops.
cause it is celebrated by throwing colored This rhyme was shouted by young men who
water and colored powders at everyone. The went house-to-house, and were rewarded
day is also celebrated with a feast, and boys with food and drink.
indulge in PRANKING and use of NOISEMAKERS. Hollantide typically applied to the eve of
One legend to explain the day comes October 31st, but the annual Manx “Great
from a female demon called Holika who de- Hollantide Hiring Fair of the Island” was
voured children every spring; one year, peo- held on November 12th.
ple prepared for the demon’s coming with
fires and horns to mock and confuse her, Holly see “Building the House.”
then they burned her up. Other legends sug- Holy Water— In parts of Ireland, animals
gest that Holika was the sister of Samvat, or and livestock might be sprinkled with holy
the Hindu year. The first year he died, Holika water on Halloween to protect them from
burned herself on her brother’s pyre, but was WITCHES and FAIRIES. Holy water might also
restored to life by her act of sacrifice. be sprinkled on doors for protective purposes.
Holidays see Christmas; New Year’s; Homosexual see Gay Culture
Thanksgiving
Horses— In parts of Ireland, SUPERSTITION
Holland Fair— At Cirencester in England, held that horses would not pass through cer-
Halloween was sometimes called Holland tain areas on Halloween night because of the
Fair, after a hiring fair traditionally held on presence of FAIRIES. In Scotland, witches were
that day. The name was still in use as late as supposedly able to transform men into
the early 20th century, although the hiring horses that they would ride to occult gath-
fair itself hadn’t existed for some time. This erings; the story LOCHERBRIGG HILL tells of
is one of the few instances of a hiring fair oc- one such transformation that occurred on
curring during Halloween, since they typi- Halloween night.
cally took place on MARTINMAS. Horse races were a part of the tradi-
tional Celtic celebration of SAMHAIN.
Hollantide (also All-Hallowtide, All-hol-
lantide Hallow-tide, Hollandtide, Hollen- Horseshoe and Hobnail Service— The
tide)— Now obsolete name for Halloween, Horseshoe and Hobnail Service was an an-
found throughout the British Isles, but es- cient ritual (more than 700 years old) regard-
pecially used in the Isle of Man. Although ing rent payment that was held in London
 113 House-to-House Parties

each October 31st, and continued into the wife Bess shortly before he died on Hal-
20th century. Each Halloween, the City So- loween, 1926, of peritonitis. Bess began hold-
licitor would appear at the Office of the ing séances, and in 1929 a young medium
Queen’s Remembrancer at two P .M. The named Arthur Ford apparently delivered the
Queen Remembrancer’s clerk would then correct message, but it was later revealed that
issue this proclamation: “Tenants and occu- Bess had inadvertently given the message out
piers of a piece of waste land called The prior to Ford’s delivery. When Bess tried to
Moors, in the County of Salop, come forth end the séance tradition in 1936, it was
and do your service.” The Solicitor then per- picked up by other magicians, including
formed the service by cutting through one Houdini’s ghostwriter Walter Gibson. The
bundle of twigs with a hatchet and another séance continues to be held every Halloween,
with a bill-hook. A second proclamation was and regularly draws some of the biggest
then made: “Tenants and occupiers of a cer- names in the field of magic. With the advent
tain tenement called ‘The Forge,’ in the of the Internet, a second yearly séance was
parish of St. Clement Danes, Middlesex, opened to anyone with Internet access; par-
come forth and do your service.” The Solic- ticipants in the “cyber-séance” are asked to
itor then counted six horseshoes and sixty- log online at a particular time on Halloween
one hobnails and, upon announcing the night, open themselves to spiritual contact,
numbers, was answered by the Queen’s Re- and report back any contact with Houdini.
membrancer, “Good numbers.” The service
apparently originated as a result of the large House-to-House Parties— Also known as
Flemish horses that were ridden by the “progressive” parties, these were instituted
Knights Templars and that were shod at “The in the wake of the severe PRANKING of the
Forge”; this practice is also similar to those early 1930s; they also offered an opportunity
involving repayment of DEBTS at SAMHAIN to parents who were just scraping by in the
and, later, MARTINMAS. Depression to combine their assets. A typi-
cal plan for a “house-to-house party” might
Horseshoes— Horseshoes occasionally ap-
include six houses, with children led from
pear in depictions of Halloween scenes, usu-
house to house by adult “ghosts.” Each house
ally as symbols of good luck. In earlier times,
would host a different activity: The first
however, horseshoes would have served a
house would give each child a hat and MASK,
different purpose at Halloween: They were
and play a GAME; the next house would host
nailed up over entrances (and sometimes
a decoration-making contest; the third house
under, as on the steps leading up to a door-
would provide another game, such as BOB-
way) as protection against WITCHES.
BING FOR APPLES; the fourth house would pro-
Houdini, Harry (1874–1926)— Hungarian- vide a backyard game, then serve dinner; the
American magician and escape artist. Born fifth house would provide dessert and a FOR-
Ehrich Weiss, Houdini, who came to fame TUNE-TELLING game; and the last house
performing such stage illusions as the infa- would end the night with GHOST STORIES and
mous “Chinese Water Torture” before prizes awarded for all previous games. A
packed houses, developed an interest in spir- variation might give each house a different
itualism and mediumship during the last few decorating and entertainment theme, such
years of his life. His book A Magician Among as the Haunted House, the Witch’s Cavern,
the Spirits documents his experiences with or the Pumpkin Inn. The success of these
mediums, all of whom he denounced as fakes parties may have led to the development of
and frauds; and yet Houdini retained a belief the classic TRICK OR TREAT custom.
that he himself could return. He passed a
code phrase —“Rosabelle believe”— to his Hungry Ghost Festival see Yue Laan
Iron 114

I
India see Holi are set among Dutch communities on the
Hudson River. Both stories first appeared in
Ink see Witches’ Ink 1820’s The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon,
Iron— Iron was usually thought to provide Gent., and established Irving as an interna-
protection against FAIRIES on Halloween; a tional literary celebrity. Both stories were
piece of iron, for example (or sometimes a supposedly found among the papers of
dead ember) might be placed in an infant’s “Diedrich Knickerbocker,” a (fictitious) his-
cradle as protection on this dangerous night. torian, and although neither of them men-
In the region of the Vosges, however, iron tions Halloween specifically, both include
had a less pleasant association: An iron ball numerous elements now associated with the
rolling down a slope on Halloween was holiday, and in fact they may even have in-
thought to be a soul in torment, and any fluenced our modern concept of Halloween.
passersby who encountered it would find “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” may be
great difficulty in returning home; they the most oft-told Halloween tale of all. Set
would also be assaulted by a horrible burn- in the rich autumn of the American North-
ing odor. east, it centers on Ichabod Crane, a gangly
school teacher who falls for Katrina Van Tas-
Irving, Washington (1783–1859)— Ameri- sel, the beautiful daughter of the wealthy Bal-
can author sometimes referred to as the “The tus Van Tassel; Ichabod’s rival for her affec-
Father of American Literature.” Irving is now tions is Brom Bones, a brawny and burly
chiefly remembered for the two short stories practical joker. After a party involving late-
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip night GHOST STORIES, Ichabod heads home
Van Winkle,” both of which he adapted from only to encounter the terrifying Headless
existing German legends, and both of which Horseman. A long chase ensues, and Icha-
bod seemingly vanishes, al-
though a smashed PUMPKIN is
found in the road the next day.
Brom and Katrina are happily
wed, and Brom is “observed to
look exceedingly knowing
whenever the story of Ichabod
was related.”
“Rip Van Winkle” offers
the story of a harmless
layabout who wanders into an
enchanted mountain glen one
day, where he finds a strange
party in progress. He makes
the mistake of sipping some
liquor he’s been ordered to
An ¡849 illustration from Washington Irving’s “The Legend serve, and he falls asleep. He
of Sleepy Hollow” by Felix O.C. Darley. awakens to find his gun rusted,
 115 Jack-o’-Lantern

his beard grown long, his home abandoned, left in water overnight at Halloween, and if
his children matured—in short, he has slept in the morning black spots or COFFIN-shaped
20 years. The story’s conclusion suggests that marks had developed it meant someone in
Rip encountered the GHOSTS of Hendrick the household would die within a year.
Hudson and his crew. Boys could invoke prophetic DREAMS on
Both stories have been adapted to other Halloween by cutting 10 ivy leaves without
media many times. “The Legend of Sleepy speaking, then throwing one away and plac-
Hollow” has been the basis of both an ani- ing the rest under the head to sleep on.
mated Disney short (released theatrically as In Cardiganshire people practiced a
the second half of the 1949 feature The Ad- variation on a classic custom which usually
ventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad) and TIM involves NUTS: Two ivy leaves were placed on
BURTON’s 1999 Sleepy Hollow, which trans- the fire, representing an unmarried couple
formed Ichabod Crane into a brilliant young (a pointed leaf for the man, and a rounded
inspector trying to solve the mystery of the leaf for the woman); if the leaves jumped to-
Hollow’s Hessian Horseman. ward each other in the heat, the couple
would marry, but if they flew apart the cou-
Ivy—In one early-twentieth-century British ple would soon quarrel and separate.
FORTUNE -TELLING practice, ivy leaves were

J
Jack Frost—Although more often associated Europe (especially Ireland and Scotland), a
with winter and CHRISTMAS, Jack Frost also jack-o’-lantern is usually a carved TURNIP,
figures in some early-twentieth-century Hal- and, unlike its American counterpart, is ac-
loween PLAYS, RECITATIONS, etc., usually as a tually carried as a lantern (hung from a stick
symbol of autumn and the coming of winter or string) on Halloween night. Jack-o’-
that are part of late October. For example, lanterns are used not just extensively for dec-
The Topaz Story Book: Stories and Legends of oration at Halloween, but are also featured in
Autumn, Halloween and Thanksgiving Halloween GAMES, while pumpkin seeds
(edited by Ada M. and Eleanor L. Skinner,
1928) contains the poem “Jack Frost” by
Gabriel Setoun, with these lines that
definitely seem to set Mr. Frost as a spooky
Halloween figure:
The door was shut as doors should be
Before you went to bed last night;
Yet Jack Frost has got in, you see,
And left your windows silver white.
Jack-o’-Lantern— Possibly the single most
popular Halloween symbol, the contempo-
rary jack-o’-lantern usually refers to a PUMP-
KIN carved into a grinning or malicious face,
used for decoration in American homes. In A classic Halloween jack-o’-lantern
Jack-o’-Lantern 116

figure in some FORTUNE-TELLING rituals, and Jack-o’-the-lantern! Joan the Wad,

of course pumpkin-flavored FOODS are pop- Who tickled the maid and made her mad!
ular as well. Jack-o’-lanterns might also be Light me home, the weather’s bad.
carved from other fruits and vegetables, in- Jack-o’-lanterns frequently haunted swamps
cluding APPLES and squash. and bog areas in Britain. These lights are
Folklorist Jack Santino notes that the properly called ignis fatuus (meaning “fool-
jack-o’-lantern embodies both harvest and ish” or “false fire”) or marsh gas, and are
the character of the trickster. In its trickster given off by rotting vegetation and animals;
aspect, jack-o’-lantern comes from a long ghostly lights that appeared specifically
line of European trickster mythology. Some around graveyards were called Corpse Can-
of the stories of Jack O’Lantern resemble dles. In folklore, these lights are sometimes
those of Jack O’Kent, a legendary hero and believed to be the souls of sinners con-
trickster. In Britain jack-o’-lantern is another demned to walk the earth eternally; in
name for WILL-O’-THE-WISP, and his name coastal areas, they’re believed to be the souls
is also sometimes spelled Jack-a-Lantern and of men who have drowned and never re-
Jacky Lantern. Although both jack-o’-lantern ceived proper burial.
and will-o’-the-wisp usually refer to the mys- Jack-o’-lanterns encountered in the
terious lights encountered around swamps wild were mischievous, malevolent entities;
and bogs, Jack is sometimes considered to be they might cause a horse to throw a cart, or
a PIXIE, and is the subject of this rhyme: even give chase. The bobbing lights must
never be followed, for they’ll attempt to lead
any foolish human to death in a deep, wa-
tery swamp or over a cliff. In Britain (where
jack-o’-lanterns were sometimes called BO-
GIES), there was only one sure protection
against a jack-o’-lantern: First any lanterns
must be extinguished (before they were
dashed to the ground by the Jack), then the
unlucky souls must throw themselves to the
ground and hold their breath. In America
(where it was often believed that mysterious
lights were the products of malicious
WITCHES ), if one encountered a “jack-ma-
lantern,” the protective ritual was to turn
one’s pockets inside-out, draw a circle in the
dirt and make a cross on the ground, then
recite, “In the name of the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit, drive these witches away
with their evil jack-ma-lanterns.” Other
means of protection included stabbing a
KNIFE into the ground, and throwing oneself
to the ground, with eyes shut, ears plugged
and breath held.
British variants of the name included
Peg-a-lantern, Hob-with-a-lantern, Ho-
bardy’s lantern, Lantern Men, Kit-with-a-
Early postcard showing boys with jack-o’- canstik, Kitty-candlestick, Joan-in-the-wad,
lanterns mounted on sticks Jacket-a-wad, and Gillion-a-burnt-tail; the
 117 Jack-o’-Lantern

Scottish also call them “Uist Lights.” One

Scottish story was that a girl from Benbec-
ula misbehaved, was cursed for her wrong-
doings and disappeared, only to have her
spirit become a “great fire.” In Switzerland,
the lights are thought to be the soul of a
miller deceased 20 years before.
Certain jack-o’-lanterns have their own
characteristics: Gill-of-the-burnt-tail draws
a streak behind itself. If a will-o-the-wisp is
seized, only a bone is left in one’s grasp. A
Hessian legend explains the irrwisch as the
body of a dead usurer, whom the devil has
flayed, stuffed with straw and made fly as a
burning wisp.
The help of a jack-o’lantern can be im-
plored with a rhyme:
Jack of the lantern, Joan of the lub
Light me home, and I’ll give you a crub
[crumb].

After the service had been rendered, one

must say, “Thank ’ee, Jack.” In Germany they
instead would say “Gelts Gott,” since by
doing this the soul was released.
The mythology behind Jack-o’-lanterns
is rich, and many of the stories are set on
Halloween; they are also often associated ¡9¡¡ postcard by artist Ellen Clapsaddle
with the evils of drink (in fact, Will-o’-the-
wisp is sometimes described as having a “face devil says the fruit is too high up to reach.
like a brandy bottle”). Perhaps the most Jack suggests the devil stand on his shoul-
common one begins one Halloween night ders, and when the devil does Jack whips out
when Jack, a notorious drunk, has one too his pocketknife and cuts the sign of the cross
many drinks at the local pub and his soul be- on the trunk of the tree, and the devil can’t
gins to slip from his body. The DEVIL appears come down. This time Jack makes the devil
to claim it, but Jack suggests they have one promise to leave him alone for good, and the
drink together before going. The devil tells desperate devil agrees. Before next Hal-
Jack he has no money, and Jack suggests that loween, Jack dies and is turned away from
he change himself into a sixpence, then heaven, but the devil turns him away from
change back after paying. The devil trans- the gates of Hell. Jack asks for a light to find
forms into the coin, and Jack snatches the his way back, and the devil throws him a
sixpence and puts it in his wallet, which has chunk of live coal from the hell furnace. Jack
a silver catch in the shape of a cross, so the puts it inside the turnip he’s been gnawing,
devil is trapped. Jack makes him promise to and with this jack-o’-lantern he has been
leave for a year, then frees him. Next Hal- wandering the earth ever since.
loween, Jack runs into the devil on a lonely An early African-American version of
country road. Nearby is an apple-tree, and the story omits both the mention of Hal-
Jack suggests they each have an apple, but the loween and the use of a turnip or pumpkin
Jack-o’-Lantern 118

for a lantern at the end; it also suggests that common Will tale, an impoverished but
“when he come to a ma’sh, he done got los’, wicked smith makes a deal with the devil to
an’ he ain’ nuver fine he way out sence,” plac- have money for a year. During the year, one
ing the mysterious light firmly in a swamp night the smith offers an act of kindness to a
setting. The jack-o’-lantern or will-o’-the- traveler, and his hospitality earns him three
wisp was greatly feared in the South, where wishes. Instead of wishing for his own salva-
it was believed that they would lure their vic- tion, he wishes that anyone who takes the
tims to drown in bogs or rivers, or be torn bellows on his forge will be unable to let go;
apart in thorn bushes, all while exclaiming, that anyone who sits in his chair will be un-
“Aie, aie, mo gagnin toi” (“aie, aie, I have able to rise; and that anything placed in his
you”). The early African-Americans based purse will never come out unless he removes
their stories on European tales, and often it. At the end of the year, Satan appears, and
called it “Jack-muh-lantern,” “Jacky-m-Lan- the smith tricks him into taking the bellows.
tuhns,” or “wuller-wups.” One legend of the Finally the smith releases Satan, only if he
jack-o’-lantern, describes it as being a promises him another year. At the end of that
hideous creature about five feet in height, year, Satan returns, but this time the smith
with goggle eyes and a huge mouth, long hair tricks him into sitting in his chair, and re-
on its body and hopping about like a gigan- leases him only upon promise of another year
tic grasshopper. Some African-Americans of freedom and money. Finally Satan returns,
also believed that jack-o’-lanterns could and the smith dares him to change into a six-
come in either sex, as a “man-jacky” or a pence; the devil does, and the smith snatches
“woman-jacky.” him up and places him in his purse. The
The Irish have a story of Billy Dawson, smith then hammers the purse until the devil
a rogue and drunk, who drinks so much that agrees to free him. Finally, when the smith
his nose becomes highly flammable and dies, he’s barred from both heaven and hell,
bursts into flames when an enemy catches it and given only a lump of brimstone to light
with red hot tongs. Billy’s bushy beard helps his way as he roams the earth. The Smith’s
fuel the fire, and now he roams the country- name is sometimes given as Sionnach, and
side, plunging into icy bogs and pools in a from this name derives the term teine Sion-
desperate attempt to quench the fire of his nachain, or “great fire.”
nose. In a Shropshire version of the legend,
In a North Carolina version, Jack is a Will is a blacksmith who fixes a traveler’s
sharecropper working his parcel of land with horse’s shoe. The traveler is St. Peter, and he
the devil. He gets the devil to agree to a 50- grants Will a wish; Will chooses to live his
50 split of each individual plant—“…I’ll take life over. He does, and spends it drinking and
the top of the CORN and you take the bot- gambling once again. Finally he dies and ar-
tom….” When the devil realizes that Jack has rives at hell, but the devil tells him he has
conned him, he hurls a blinding light at Jack, learned so much wickedness in two lifetimes
and warns him never to let go of that light. that he is more than the devil’s match, and
In a Welsh version, Sion Dafydd of the he denies him entrance. St. Peter denies him
Arvon hills sells his soul for wealth and the entry into heaven, and finally Will returns
power to adhere to anything. When the devil to the devil, who reluctantly offers him only
finally comes for him, he climbs into an a coal from the hell-fires to warm him. Now
apple-tree and the Devil is unable to take Will wanders the moors, still practicing mal-
him. ice and deceit by luring innocent travelers to
In stories centering on Will-o’-the- their doom.
wisp, Will is usually a blacksmith (although Joel Chandler Harris records an
his name is also given as Jack). In the most African-American variation of this tale,
 119 Jack-o’-Lantern

“Jacky-Ma-Lantern” from Uncle Remus: His trickster stories throughout Western history;
Songs and His Sayings. In this version the earlier variants usually center on Death,
devil (or “the Bad Man”) comes for the rather than the devil; usually Jesus or St.
drunken “blacksmif,” who makes a deal in- Peter grants wishes to the protagonist, and
stead for the chair, the forge and money. typically the story notes their disappoint-
When the devil returns in a year, the black- ment when the hero chooses some form of
smith traps him in the chair; a year later, he trickery over salvation. In some German
traps the devil at the forge. A year later, the variants Jack-o’-lantern becomes the Wan-
devil returns and puts Jack in a bag for the dering Jew.
trip to Hell, but on the way the devil stops In his article “Halloween Imagery in
to join in a Fourth of July barbecue (in a cu- Two Southern Settings,” Grey Gundaker
rious switch of holidays!). While the devil suggests that the image of the jack-o’-lantern
eats, the blacksmith escapes from the bag and has come to have special significance among
puts a bull-dog in his place. When the devil Southern African-Americans, “…because of
arrives in Hell, his hungry imps are shocked [the] rich fund of oral tradition.” Gundaker
to find the dog, which attacks them until the cites uses of the jack-o’-lantern in non-sea-
devil throws it out of Hell. Finally the black- sonal African-American yard assemblages,
smith dies, and is denied entry into both and mentions that the phrase may have even
Heaven and Hell, leaving him to hover be- once been transmuted into the name “Jack
tween the two planes forever. Mulatta.”
Zora Neale Hurston includes a version The practice of transforming a pumpkin
of the tale in her collection Of Mules and Men into a jack-o’-lantern predates the popular-
which ends with the devil tossing Jack a coal ity of Halloween in America: In his 1850
so he can start a Hell of his own. poem “The Pumpkin,” John Greenleaf
In an American version, Jack sells his Whittier recalls his own boyhood and pump-
soul to the devil at a CROSSROADS in exchange kins:
for seven years of power. At the end of seven
When wild ugly faces we carved in its skin,
years, the devil comes for Jack; Jack asks him
Glaring out through the dark with a candle
to get down an old shoe he has placed above within!
his door, and when the devil complies, Jack
nails his hand to the wall. After obtaining the And of course WASHINGTON IRVING’s famous
devil’s agreement to leave him alone, Jack re- 1820 story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”
leases the devil, but on the day he dies he is includes a pumpkin that has been mistaken
denied entrance to both Heaven and Hell (at for a goblin’s head, suggesting it may have
Hell the devil throws a chunk of burning coal been a jack-o’-lantern (as indeed it is usu-
at him). Now Jack relieves the boredom of ally depicted in illustrations and adapta-
his eternal wandering by luring unwary souls tions). An article from 1867 refers to the jack-
to their doom. o’-lantern as “the pumpkin effigy,” and notes
One other American version begins that its use (mainly in provoking scares) may
with Wicked Jack the blacksmith making the have stemmed from Guy Fawkes Night prac-
deal for the chair and the hammer, but his tices in England. An 1885 magazine article
third wish is that the large thorny bush out- suggests that carving Halloween jack-o’-
side his shop will pull in headfirst anyone lanterns is the American boy’s version of
who touches it (also in this version, the devil lighting bonfires, and by 1898 — when the
sends two of his sons first before coming, and first Halloween book, MARTHA RUSSELL
he himself ends up in the bush, all within the ORNE’s Hallowe’en: How to Celebrate It ap-
space of a few minutes). peared, jack-o’-lanterns as key elements of
There are numerous other examples of Halloween were firmly established.
Jack Pumpkinhead 120

Jack-o’-lanterns—which are sometimes Ruth Plumly Thompson) named Jack Pump-

accompanied by bodies made of straw, other kinhead of Oz. In later books, Jack had to
vegetables, and rags (like a SCARECROW)—are continually replace his rotting pumpkin
usually placed in windows or on porches of heads with new ones.
homes; prior to the use of electricity in There are no direct references to Hal-
American homes, jack-o’-lanterns were often loween surrounding Jack, although the first
placed over gas jets in place of the usual glass book clearly paints him as an autumnal
globes. On Halloween night they serve an figure (Tip decides to make Jack “…one day,
important purpose in the practice of TRICK after the corn had all been cut and stacked”)
OR TREAT, since a lit jack-o’-lantern normally and refers to his head as a “Jack Lantern” (al-
signifies a home that is participating and dis- though Tip, being unfamiliar with other
pensing treats. Although jack-o’-lanterns are children, is unaware of the notion of placing
traditionally made by carving away sections a candle inside the carved-out pumpkin).
of the pumpkin to produce a grinning or However, Jack Pumpkinhead went on to be-
fearsome face, a jack-o’-lantern may also be come a figure commonly associated with
made by cutting or scraping away only the Halloween: Some early 20th-century paper
outer sections of the pumpkin’s rind, leav- goods catalogs featured decorations depict-
ing a thin layer of skin that glows when lit ing a pumpkin-headed figure named “John
from within. Although the traditional jack- Pumpkin Head,” and the amusement park
o’-lantern is otherwise undecorated, they Santa’s Village in Southern California (which
may also be painted or accessorized with closed in 1998) featured a costumed Hal-
added, three-dimensional details. loween figure named “Jack Pumpkinhead.”
In more recent times, jack-o’-lanterns Jack Pumpkinhead may also have served in
have been featured in a number of Hal- part to inspire the pumpkin-headed Jack
loween-themed movies and television shows. Skellington in TIM BURTON’s The Nightmare
The 1966 It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Before Christmas.
Brown played on the jack-o’-lantern’s promi-
Japan see Bon Festival
nence as the most important icon of the hol-
iday. TIM BURTON and Henry Selick’s popu- Jewelry see Earrings; Wedding Ring
lar The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
gave its protagonist Jack Skellington a jack-
o’-lantern head, and the impish “Sam Hain”
from Michael Dougherty’s 2008 film release
Trick ‘R Treat is revealed to have a head sim-
ilar to a jack-o’-lantern. See also Neep
Lanterns.

Jack Pumpkinhead— Jack Pumpkinhead

was originally a character in L. Frank Baum’s
1904 fantasy The Marvelous Land of Oz (the
first sequel to Baum’s classic The Wonderful
Wizard of Oz). In the book, Jack is a pump-
kin-headed SCARECROW manufactured by a
boy named Tip to scare his guardian, the sor-
ceress Mombi; however, Mombi decides to
reverse the trick by bringing Jack to life. Jack John R. Neill’s illustration of Jack Pumpkin-
went on to appear in numerous other Oz vol- head and Jellia from The Marvelous Land of
umes, with the 23rd book in the series (by Oz
 121 Kale

K
Kale (also kail)— Curly-leafed vegetable toc” can be further measured by this tradi-
which may be the oldest form of CABBAGE, tional Halloween night children’s rhyme:
kale is interchangeable with cabbage in a Halloween a nicht — a teen
number of well-known means of Halloween A can’al an’ a custoc.
FORTUNE-TELLING. In the Scottish “Pulling of
the Kale,” couples walked hand-in-hand In some areas the kale had to be pulled from
through a FIELD (preferably belonging to ei- a neighbor’s yard without the neighbor’s
ther a spinster or bachelor) and, with eyes consent or knowledge; ideally the neighbor
closed, pulled a bunch of kale. The size and should be unmarried. In some parts of Scot-
shape of the stalks and the amount of soil land, this divination was practiced exclu-
clinging to them foretold the future; for ex- sively by young girls who walked into the
ample, a straight stalk foretold a tall, straight, kale patch BACKWARDS, and picked the first
handsome mate, and dirt clinging to the kale
promised money. The state of the heart of the
stem (sweet, sour, brittle, hard, etc.) fore-
told the disposition of a future mate. Finally
the kale would be nailed over a doorway, and
whoever entered beneath the kale first would
be one’s future mate (or, if the first to enter
was already married, the first letter in his or
her name would also be the first letter in the
name of the kale-puller’s future spouse).
Often kale stalks were numbered, so that the
third man through the door would match the
girl who had the third stalk. ROBERT BURNS’s
“Hallowe’en” refers to the custom:
Then first and foremost, thro’ the kail,
Their stocks maun a’ be sought ance;
They steek their een’ an’ graip an’ wale,
For muckle anes an’ straight anes.
In the next stanza, Burns goes on to describe
what happens to the kale after it has been
pulled:
An’ gif the custoc’s sweet or sour,
Wi’ joctelegs they taste them;
Syne coziely, aboon the door,
Wi’ cannie care they place them
To lie that night.
(The “custoc” is the heart of the stem;
“joctelegs” are a type of knife.) The curly-leafed greenery shown in this vin-
In Scotland the importance of the “cus- tage postcard is probably kale.
Kef AnnAnaon 122

kales their heels caught on. In Fife, however, Kelley, Ruth Edna—Kelley (1893-1982)
the kale-runts were carried home backwards. was an American author and librarian who is
Also in Scotland knots on the kale stock now known chiefly as the author of The Book
under any clinging earth indicated no chil- of Hallowe’en (1919), the first serious study
dren. of Halloween. Running 195 pages, Kelley’s
In another Scottish custom, the kale- book features information on the holiday’s
runt is thrown on the ground, and whatever CELEBRATIONS as practiced throughout his-
direction the head points indicates the direc- tory and around the world, and it includes
tion of one’s next journey. A kale-runt could illustrations and an index. Originally pub-
also be placed under the pillow on Halloween lished in an attractive hardback with deco-
night to induce DREAMS of the future spouse. rative binding, the book has since been
In Witchcraft and Second Sight in the reprinted numerous times and can also be
Scottish Highlands, John Gregorson Camp- found in its entirety at a number of internet
bell tells this eerie tale of a kale-pulling: A sites; the first edition has now become a
girl who lived in Skye was in love with a highly-sought after Halloween COLLECTIBLE
sailor who had shipped off to the East Indies. and brings high prices on the resale market.
On Halloween night she went to a kale patch,
and as she grasped the kale she felt something
hurtle by her and strike the kale. The kale
was straight and tall with rich dirt clinging to
the root, but embedded in the stalk was a
knife. All the other young people present de-
nied having thrown it or knowing to whom
it belonged. When her lover returned a few
months later, he told her that on Halloween
night he was leaning over the side of the ship,
thinking of her and of the festivities that were
going on in Skye and feeling homesick. He
had his knife in his hand, since he had just
been mending rope. In his reverie he let the
knife slip from his fingers and fall into sea.
The girl then produced the knife she had
found in the kale stalk, and he identified it
as the one he had lost.
In Scotland, a kale-runt torch might be
carried in lieu of a TURNIP lantern; this was
simply a stem stripped of leaves and hol-
lowed out to carry a CANDLE.
Later, when Halloween celebrations had
moved to cities where kale patches were not
easily found, one Dennison’s BOGIE BOOK
suggested that a sandbox planted with sticks
could be imagined to be kale (for use in the Cover for Ruth Edna Kelley’s The Book of Hal-
“Pulling of the Kale” divination). lowe’en

Kef Ann Anaon— A special log reserved for Knives— Carrying a black-handled
the dead, used in Halloween HEARTHS in knife was thought to be protection against
some parts of Brittany. malicious Halloween FAIRIES. Also, stabbing
 123 Lanternes des Morts

a knife into the ground was one counter- which her future husband was revealed to
charm to malevolent JACK-O’-LANTERNS. her.
A knife also figures in one FORTUNE- A variant notes that the girl must use
TELLING custom involving LEEKS, wherein a her left-hand garter (although she can also
girl would place a knife in the leek field on use a string), and tie THREE knots; as each
Halloween night, and the FETCH of her fu- knot is tied, she repeats this colorful rhyme:
ture husband would appear, pick up the
I knit this knot, this knot I knit,
knife and throw it.
To see the thing I ne’ever saw yet —
Knots— In an Irish FORTUNE-TELLING prac- To see my love in his array,
tice, a girl took a length of rope to a well, And what he walks in every day;
placed her feet on either side of the well, and And what his occupation be
This night in sleep be shown to me;
tied NINE knots in the rope, reciting with each
And if my love be clad in green,
knot tied: His love for me it is well seen;
I tie this Knot that it should knit And if my love be clad in grey,
To see the lad I ne’er saw yet, His love for me is far away;
To see the lad in his array, But if my love be clad in blue,
The clothing he wears every day. His love for me is deep and true.

The girl then returned silently to her home The garter was laid under the pillow to in-
and went to bed, where she had DREAMS in voke dreams of the future husband.

L
Laa Houney— Manx name for Halloween DAY. The name derives from “loaf ” and
(they also sometimes call it Sauin, after “mass,” since it was customary in the early
SAMHAIN). In Manx it was celebrated on No- English Church to bless BREAD made from
vember 12, according to the old Julian calen- the first-ripe CORN at Mass on this day. A
dar. later explanation suggested that it derived
from “lamb” and “Mass,” denoting that it
Ladders—A ladder of plaited rushes hung at
was a time at which a feudal tribute of lambs
the foot of the bed ensured DREAMS of a future
was paid (at York). Like Halloween or
mate on Halloween.
SAMHAIN, Lammas Day was a time to practice
Lambswool— Traditional Irish Halloween certain protective rites against FAIRIES and
drink made of bruised and roasted apples WITCHES.
combined with milk or ale, and spices and
sugar. The name may derive from the words Lanternes des Morts— In twelfth- to four-
“La Mas Ubhal,” meaning the day of the teenth-century France, stone buildings like
apple or fruit; or it may come from the lighthouses were erected in cemeteries; on
drink’s distinctive froth, which suggests Halloween lanterns were kept burning in
fleecy lamb’s wool. these structures to safeguard people from the
wandering dead, hence their name (“lanterns
Lammas Day—A festival of the first HARVEST of the dead”).
celebrated August 1; in the Celtic calendar
the day was Lughnasad, and was a QUARTER- Latin America see Days of the Dead
Laundry 124

Laundry— In parts of Europe one SUPERSTI- ible WITCHES supposedly flying about on their
TION considers it bad luck to do laundry on broomsticks.
Halloween, since it means the death of a fam- A Lancashire tale tells of a farmer near
ily member in the coming year; it is espe- Pendle who began to suffer misfortunes, in-
cially ill fortune to wash a sheet, because of cluding the death of cattle, crops and two of
its resemblance to a funeral shroud. his children. The farmer told his wife they
would have no rest until November, since on
Lead— Pouring melted lead from an iron Halloween he would “leet the witches,”or
spoon into cold WATER (preferably through a carry a candle to their meeting-place on the
WEDDING RING or a key) is one method of
local hilltop; if he could succeed without the
Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING; when the lead candle being blown out, he and his family
hits the water it solidifies into odd shapes in would be protected from witchcraft for a
which the future can supposedly be read. year. On Halloween the farmer and his ser-
This 1937 poem entitled “The Magic Lead” vant Isaac set out after 10 o’clock, each car-
suggests the use of the custom as a Halloween rying a branch of ash with sprigs of bay tied
“stunt”: to it as protection against thunder and light-
Melted lead poured out in water ning, and with their candles in their other
Strange shapes will assume, hands. Just as they were turning toward
So if you’ll these forms decipher home, a Satanic face appeared in the window
You may well presume of a tower, and both their candles went out.
That they represent your future, Both men cried out “God bless us!” and the
Plain as plain can be. noise and light from around the tower dis-
For example, ships will tell you
appeared instantly. In the dark the two men
That you’ll go to sea.
Books will point you out a scholar,
were separated; old Isaac made it to the farm,
Guns, a soldier, brave and bold. and the farmer was found the next day at the
Everyone shows something different, bottom of a gorge with a broken leg. The fol-
Waiting to be read and told. lowing year the farm celebrated unaccus-
tomed prosperity, leaving the farmer’s wife to
Sometimes lead-pouring seemed to be com- conclude that the candle flames must have
bined with LUGGIE BOWLS, so melted lead was been blown out after MIDNIGHT.
poured into THREE bowls of water. The use See also BURNING THE WITCH (a custom
of EGGS was similar, since the egg whites involving burning witches in effigy).
dropped into water also formed unusual
shapes; a variant of this ritual used sand in- Lemons— A Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING
stead of lead. custom suggests that a young woman carry
lemon peels with her all day, then rub them
Leeks— In Wales, leeks served in FORTUNE- on the four posts of her bed at bedtime. If
TELLING customs similar to Scottish ones in- the man she loves also loves her, he will ap-
volving CABBAGE or KALE. Specifically, a girl pear in a DREAM that night and present her
walks BACKWARDS into the leeks on Hal- with two lemons.
loween night and sticks a KNIFE among them,
then conceals herself nearby and waits; she Lemuria— With FERALIA, Lemuria is the
will eventually see her future husband pick other (and older) Roman commemoration
up the knife and throw it into the center of of the dead. It was held from May 9 to May
the leek-bed. 13, on the odd days (even days were consid-
ered unlucky). During this time the dead
“Leet the Witches”— Fire custom in which walked and had to be propitiated. Lemures
a CANDLE or torch is carried about on Hal- were wandering spirits of the dead returned,
loween night, to burn or “leet” (light) invis- and were defined by Porphyrion as “wan-
 125 Lime-Kiln

dering and terrifying shades of men who (a kiln in which limestone is burned to pre-
died untimely deaths,” and by Nonius Mar- pare calcium oxide, or lime) on Halloween,
cellinus as “nocturnal apparitions and ter- and threw a ball of blue YARN into it while
rors of ghosts and beasts.” holding one end. If a pull was felt on the
In Book Five of Ovid’s Fasti, he de- other end, the question “Who holds?” was
scribes the main ritual performed at asked, whereupon the future intended would
Lemuria: It was held on the final night, when pronounce his or her full name.
the head of the family arose at MIDNIGHT (or In his poem “Hallowe’en,” ROBERT
when the “night is half over”), made the sign BURNS describes the custom as enacted by
of the fig, washed his hands in pure WATER, one young lady:
and then walked barefoot through the house, …She thro’ the yard the nearest taks,
spitting out black beans from his mouth and An’ to the kiln she goes then,
saying, “With these beans I redeem me and An’ darklins grapit for the bauks,
mine.” This was repeated NINE times, while And in the blue-clue throws then,
ghosts supposedly came behind him and Right fear’t that night.
picked up the beans. At the conclusion of this An’ ’ay she win’t, an ’ay she swat,
sequence, he washed and banged bronze pots I wat she made nae jaukin;
and pans, asking the ghosts to leave: Till something held within the pat,
Guid L — d! But she was quakin;
When he’s said, “Be gone, ancestral But whether t’was the Deil himsel,
spirits,” nine times, Or whether ’twas a bauken,
he looks back and regards the ritual as Or whether it was Andrew Bell,
rightly done. She did na wait on talkin
To spier that night.
According to Ovid, the holiday’s name de-
rived from the death of Remus, one of the (“Blue-clue” refers to a clue of blue yarn;
twin founders of Rome; his “bloodstained “swat” is sweat; “jaukin” is joking; “pat” is
ghost” appeared to his brother Romulus and pot; “bauken” is a bogie; and “spier” is ask)
asked him to mark a festival day in his honor. In a variant, a girl takes two balls of
Romulus called it the Remuria, but over time yarn, throws them into the lime-kiln, then,
the name altered slightly into Lemuria. when she feels a tug on the yarn, recites, “In
As with Feralia, this was a time espe- the name of the DEVIL who is holding my
cially unlucky for marriages.
The day of Lemuria’s
final night, May 13, was the
original date set by Pope Boni-
face IV for the celebration of
ALL SAINTS’ DAY (A.D. 609),
suggesting that Boniface may
have been heeding POPE GREG-
ORY I’s advice to co-opt pagan
celebrations rather than try to
destroy them.
Lesbian see Gay Culture
Lime-Kiln— Halloween FOR-
TUNE - TELLING method in
which an unmarried young A vintage Halloween postcard illustrating the lime-kiln div-
person approached a lime-kiln ination.
Livelong 126

yarn?” A voice from the kiln offers her fu- over her head, turned her into a horse, and
ture husband’s name, and a very uncompli- rode her back to his own stable. Once there,
mentary name for the girl herself. he released the witch from the spell, and after
In Witchcraft and Second Sight in the promising to never reveal his Halloween ad-
Scottish Highlands, John Gregorson Camp- venture, was allowed to keep the bridle.
bell tells of an incident at a Halloween gath-
Lord of Misrule— Once a figure of English
ering when the village tailor hid in the kiln,
royalty from Halloween to Candlemas, the
and in answer to a girl’s query called out,
Lord of Misrule was typically a serving man
“The devil!” The girl fled with a shriek and
in a lord’s household who was selected to
was so terrified that she would not walk with
rule the household and preside over CHRIST-
any of the lads during the following year for
MAS festivities (the custom later applied only
fear that he would prove to be the devil.
to the Twelve Days of Christmas). Lords of
Livelong (also orpine, American cud- misrule were appointed in both the king’s
weed)— A type of herb harvested in Ireland court and by the lord mayor of London. They
on MIDSUMMER’S EVE; if it was found to be often had from 20 to 60 officers under them,
still green by Halloween, the one who har- and were provided with musicians and MUM-
vested it would prosper, but if it had turned MERS. The Lord of Misrule gave orders which
yellow or had died, it foretold death for the had to be obeyed, and supplied punishments
one who had picked it. when he was not obeyed (he might, for ex-
ample, assign a punishment for not drink-
Locherbrigg Hill—Located in Scotland four
ing enough!). An A.D. 1401 description notes
miles from Dumfries, Locherbrigg hill (or
that during this time “there were fine and
“knowe”) is the location of one of the
subtle disguisinges, Maskes, and Mum-
strangest traditional Halloween stories: De-
meries.” In Scotland (where an ordinance
rived from an old ballad, “WITCHES’ Gather-
suppressing the practice was passed in 1555),
ing Hymn,” the story tells of a witch who
the title was the Abbot of Unreason.
created a diabolical bridle (made from the
skin of an unbaptized infant) and used it to Luggie Bowls— A FORTUNE-TELLING custom
transform a young man into a horse. When in which THREE bowls (luggies are small
one of his friends inquired about his ill bowls with handles, or “lugs”) are placed side
health and manner, he advised his friend to by side, one holding clear WATER, one hold-
lie in a certain place on Hal-
loween night. His friend did
so, and found himself mag-
ically transformed into a
gray steed when the witch
shook the bridle over his
head. She rode the en-
chanted horse to Locher-
brigg hill, where she took
place in a hellish “tryste”
with other witches and war-
locks. The terrified young
man managed to fling the
bridle off, and returned to
his human form. When the
witch came for him at day-
light, he shook the bridle Scottish-themed postcard showing the three luggie bowls
 127 Luggie Bowls

ing dirty water and one empty. The fortune- clean water (marriage), one with water
seeker is blindfolded, then the future is pre- mixed with clay (marriage to a widower),
dicted by which bowl is touched first (by the and one with clay (no marriage). In a color-
left forefinger): If the clear water, the seeker ful American variation, the bowls with filled
will wed and live happily; if the dirty water, with colored water: Red meant great fortune;
the seeker will wed but lead an unhappy life; blue, a trip across water; and clear, a great
and if the empty bowl, the seeker will remain honor bestowed.
unmarried. In a variation, soapy (dirty) Sometimes the number of bowls (or
water indicated marriage to a widow or wid- plates) varied. An Irish custom uses four
ower. plates on a table, one with clay (death), one
In “Hallowe’en,” ROBERT BURNS de- with water (marriage), one with rosary beads
scribes a Scottish variant: (life as a nun) and one with nothing (an old
In order, on the clean hearth-stane, maid). One version used different liquids in
The luggies three are ranged, four bowls: water (a peaceful, happy life);
And ev’ry time great care is ta’en, wine (a rich, noble career); vinegar (widow-
To see them duly changed: hood); and an empty bowl (will never
Auld uncle John, wha wedlock’s joys marry). An American variant used four
Sin Mar’s year did desire, bowls or dishes, one with dirt (divorce), one
Because he gat the toom-dish thrice, with water (a trip across the ocean), one with
He heav’d them on the fire a ring (marriage) and one with a rag (no
In wrath that night.
marriage at all). Another American version
(“Mar’s year” was 1715; “toom-dish” is the suggests thirteen dishes, with the contents
empty dish.) indicating the disposition of one’s future
In a Scottish variation, the bowls were spouse, as follows: Sugar (sweet), pepper
placed by the HEARTH, with clean water in- (hot-tempered), vinegar (sour), water
dicating that the future spouse would be a (weak), cocoa (bitter), cornstarch (smooth-
virgin; dirty water foretold that the spouse tongued), butter (unctuous), peanuts
would be a widow or widower; and empty (nutty), washing powder (caustic), soap
augured no marriage. The ritual was re- flakes (slippery), angel’s food (angelic),
peated THREE times, and every time the sponge cake (sponging), and devil’s cake
arrangement of the bowls was altered. In a (wicked).
less-common variation, the bowls are filled In a Scottish version, six plates were
not with water but objects—specifically, gold placed on the floor, each with different con-
(a rich marriage), a ring (an early marriage) tents. Another variant had a number of ob-
and a thimble (no marriage). On the Isle of jects simply placed directly on the floor of an
Man, the objects indicated the profession of otherwise empty room. Objects might in-
the future husband — a bit of net, a fisher- clude dough (a life of ease), a rubber band
man; meal, a miller; and earth, a farmer. In (a lively or snappy life), a sharp thorn (a
an American custom, the bowls were filled troublesome path), clear water (an unruffled
with earth (a death coming soon), water (no life), and a key (good luck or travel). Some-
marriage) and a ring (a marriage will occur times seven plates were used instead of six.
soon). An Irish version uses three bowls with During World War II, one American
clean water (will live to see another Hal- variant saw different bowls representing dif-
loween), earth (will die within the year), or ferent branches of the armed forces: If a bowl
meal (will live a long and prosperous life). with red cloth was chosen, for example, it
The three bowls might hold moss (luxury), indicated that the chooser would marry an
dust (an auto trip) and thorns (an unhappy army man, while blue cloth indicated a
marriage). Another one used one bowl of sailor.
Lunantishees 128

Lughnasad see Lammas Day his effigy may also appear on the earlier hol-
idays.
Lunantishees— A tribe of FAIRIES said to
guard the blackthorn trees or sloes; they will
Luther, Martin (1483–1546)— Founder of
not allow a stick to be cut on November 11
the German Reformation. On October 31,
(the original date of SAMHAIN, now MARTIN-
1517 (Luther chose the day since he knew the
MAS); anyone who dares cut a blackthorn at
church, which was the Church of All Saints,
that time will suffer some misfortune.
would be heavily attended on that day),
Lundy— In Northern Ireland “the Lundy” is Luther’s 95 theses on indulgences were
occasionally burnt in effigy in place of “the posted on the door of the castle church at
Guy” in both GUY FAWKES NIGHT and Hal- Wittenberg. The theses came to be viewed as
loween CELEBRATIONS. Robert Lundy was a a manifesto of reform, which eventually led
seventeenth-century governor of Derry City to the formation of various Protestant de-
thought to be a traitor, and although he is nominations, and so October 31 was also
more commonly burnt in effigy in December, known as PROTESTANT REFORMATION DAY.

M
Maes-Y-Felin Field— Field in Wales where stick Krewe of Comus (formed in 1857);
“Druidical stones” (supposedly resurrected these krewes build floats, stage PARADES, or-
by the DRUIDS) were said to grant wishes to ganize costume balls and masquerades, and
anyone who whispered to them on Hal- choose a king and queen for the next year.
loween (it was also believed that on MID- “Carnival” refers to the entire period be-
SUMMER’S EVE these stones whirled around tween Twelfth Night and Lent, when many
THREE times, and made curtsies). balls and parades are presented, and includes
the actual day of Mardi Gras.
Magic see Houdini, Harry; National Mardi Gras is the American version of
Magic Day CARNIVAL. In the history of Europe, Carni-
val has typically included banqueting, en-
Mardi Gras— Also known as Shrove Tues-
tertainments and chaotic processions. In
day, since it immediately precedes Ash
Rome especially, Carnival (from the Latin
Wednesday (and is the last day before Lent
carne vale, or “farewell meat”) was a grand
and the 40-day period of fasting and absti-
celebration, ending with each reveler lighting
nence), which means it occurs in February
his moccoletto, or wax taper, on the final
or March each year. The name derives from
night. As with Mardi Gras (and, later, Hal-
the French for “Fat Tuesday,” and the day is
loween), many revelers dressed in costume.
commonly celebrated in New Orleans (al-
In many areas, “King Carnival” is an effigy
though it actually started in Mobile, Al-
burned at the conclusion of Carnival (al-
abama), Trinidad, France and Italy. Like Hal-
though in Mardi Gras “King Carnival” is a
loween, it is celebrated with COSTUMES,
human being, who carries the title for a
PARTIES and feasting; also, like Halloween, it
year).
precedes a solemn period. Unlike Halloween,
New Orleans Mardi Gras is largely organized Martinmas—Held November 11, this largely
by “krewes,” the first of which was the My- European holiday may have earlier marked a
 129 Martinmas

Germanic pagan NEW YEAR’S feast similar to Samhain, Martinmas marked (with Whit-
the Irish Celts’ SAMHAIN. St. Martin (A.D. sun in May) one of the two major divisions
317–397) was the Bishop of Tours and the of the year until the sixteenth century, when
patron saint of the HARVEST, and Martinmas these days were largely replaced by Easter and
is celebrated throughout Europe with an em- MICHAELMAS (see QUARTER DAYS).
phasis on the harvest. In many respects, Mar- Some Martinmas celebrations em-
tinmas is the European Halloween, especially ployed FIREWORKS as well as bonfires. In
considering that, prior to the use of the Gre- Fenny Stratford, near Bletchley, the tradi-
gorian calendar, November 11 was Novem- tional celebration (which continued into the
ber 1, or the current date of ALL SAINTS’ DAY. 20th century) included firing small,
Martinmas shares many customs with Hal- strangely-shaped cannons known as the
loween: In addition to HARVEST festivities, “Fenny Poppers.” This same town had a
both are a time for feasting on special foods, house called “St. Martin’s house,” which
and for religious observances. It has been bore this inscription on a stone set into the
recorded that in Germany children carry wall: “This house was settled on the parish
JACK-O’-LANTERNS (Martinslaternen) on this officers of this town for the annual obser-
day and sing: vance of St Martin’s Day-Anno Domini
1752.” Rent collected from the house was
Let’s be happy, let’s be gay,
Let’s be children all today. used annually to provide entertainment for
the town’s residents on Martinmas.
In Germany, Martinmas was celebrated Also like Halloween, on Martinmas
throughout the Middle Ages with comic financial affairs were settled —church-scot
plays and songs; in some British locales, there (tax) was paid, as were wages and leases. One
are records of fifteenth-century GUISING and British St. Martin’s Day tradition is the Pay-
MUMMING on the day (in Yorkshire, mum- ment of Wroth Silver at Knightlow Cross,
ming practices that began on Martinmas and Stretton on Dunsmore, near Rugby, War-
continued through Christmas were recorded wickshire; this ritual dates back over a thou-
into the 19th century). In the Netherlands, sand years. At the northern end of the vil-
house-to-house begging, BONFIRES and jack- lage is a stone that is the last remaining piece
o’-lanterns are all part of the Martinmas fes- of ancient Knightlow Cross. Participants
tivities. An old British ballad, “Martilmasse must arrive at the stone before the sun rises
Day,” describes the holiday’s merriment: on Martinmas, and at seven A.M., the steward
It is the day of Martilmasse, of the Lord of the Manor reads a notice re-
Cuppes of ale should freelie passé; quiring payment and the names of those re-
What though Wynter has begunne sponsible; anyone who is derelict pays a fee
To push down the Summer sunne, which consists partly of “a white bull with
To oure fire we can betake red ears and a red nose.” Those making pay-
And enjoye the crackling brake, ments are required to go around the cross
Never heedinge Wynter’s face THREE times, declaring the Wroth Money,
On the day of Martilmasse.
which is then thrown into a cavity of the
Other stanzas describe journeys to the city stone and taken out by the steward. After-
to see “costlie shows” and dancing until late wards, the participants (usually about 40 in
in the evening. number) are treated to breakfast by the Duke
In Yorkshire, the Sunday closest to Mar- at the village inn, the “Dun Cow,” where they
tinmas was often the day of celebration and toast the Duke of Buccleuch and the Earl of
was referred to as “Rive-kite Sunday” or Dalkeith. The custom probably was once the
“Tear-stomach Sunday.” collecting of toll fees for use of the Lord’s
Like the Celtic festivals of BELTANE and roads by cattle.
Martinmas 130

Martinmas was also the traditional day that the WEATHER on this day foretold the
for the holding of Hiring Fairs in Britain, andweather of the coming winter — the wind’s
was often called Pack-rag Day (because ser- direction for the following three months
vants packed and set off in search of new em- would be determined by its direction on
ployment). Young people who sought farm “Martlemas Eve.” In Leicestershire, a saying
work journeyed to these fairs, and stood in ran: “When the ice before Martlemas bears a
lines while a farmer or lord selected from duck, then look for a winter of mire and
among them their help for the next year. The muck”; on the other hand, in Staffordshire
hiring was completed when the master gave the saying was, “If a duck can walk a pond at
a “fessen-penny” (usually a shilling) to his Martinmas, there will be a mild winter.” In
new help, and after the hiring the last night other areas it was a custom to foretell the
of the fair was celebrated with dancing and weather by eating a goose on Martinmas Eve,
merrymaking. and reading the marks on the breast-bone
The period between Halloween and (white meant snow, dark meant hard frost).
Martinmas was a vacation time for many ser- In fact, Martinmas was often celebrated with
vants, who might celebrate on Halloween in a special feast centered on roast goose (called
Scotland with this song: in Germany die Martinsgans).
In Cumberland, Martinmas was the day
This is Hallaeven,
on which stray sheep, which had been col-
The morn is Halladay;
Nine free nichts till Martinmas,
lected throughout the season, were ex-
As soon they’ll wear away. changed and returned to their owners. Cum-
berland was also home to a charitable
Martinmas was the time when prepara- practice established by Thomas Williamson
tions were made for the coming winter. In in 1674, who included conditions in his will
Letters from a Gentleman in the North of Scot- to provide the local poor with mutton or veal
land (1754), Edward Burt observed that the at Martinmas.
Scots “salt up a quantity of beef on or about Certain protective rituals were prac-
Martinmas” (a similar practice was observed ticed at Martinmas. An Irish Martinmas cus-
at Samhain). In some areas it was thought tom was to sprinkle the blood of a farm an-
imal or CHICKEN in the corners
of the house, on doorposts and
windows, and in stables as
protection against evil forces
during the coming year.
Unlike Halloween, Mar-
tinmas was also a celebration
of wine. According to the An-
cient Calendar of the Church
of Rome, “Wines are tasted
and drawn from the lees. The
Vinalia, a feast of the ancients,
removed to this day. Bacchus
in the figure of Martin” (some
scholars have suggested that
Martinmas may even repre-
sent the ancient Greek day of
Collection of “wroth money” on Martinmas (photograph by ANTHESTERIA). One proverb
Sir Benjamin Stone) about the holiday promises:
 131 Masks

If you raise your glass considerable speculation that the CELTS wore
At Martinmas, COSTUMES and masks on SAMHAIN, there is no
Wine will be yours evidence to support this. The custom may
Throughout the year. have been acquired from Scottish HOGMANAY
In fact in an area known as Martinsal Hill, mumming customs (masks are also worn in
the holiday was even referred to as “Marti- other MUMMING customs), or may have been
nalia.” the earliest form of PRANKING.
Between World Wars I and II, there was What is known is that masking became
a brief attempt made to establish a second one of the most popular aspects of Halloween
BONFIRE night on the date of Martinmas to in the twentieth century. Masks and cos-
mark the armistice which ended the First tumes have become an integral part of TRICK
World War, but the idea lasted only a few OR TREAT and Halloween PARTIES. However,
years.
In former times Martin-
mas or Martini was the official
start of winter and the 40-day
Christmas fast; today, how-
ever, Martinstag marks the un-
official start of the Christmas
shopping season in much of
Europe.
Mashed Potatoes— A varia-
tion of the FORTUNE CAKE, es-
pecially popular in Ireland. A
ring, a thimble and a dime are
placed into a dish of mashed
potatoes; whoever finds the
ring in his or her portion will
be happily married (or, if al-
ready married, will have good
fortune); the thimble foretells
spinsterhood; and the dime,
money. If a girl got the ring
and managed to hide it under
her tongue until the dish was
emptied, she was thought to
have the enviable ability of
being able to hold her tongue,
without losing her cunning.
In Scotland mashed pota-
toes are called “champit tat-
ties.” In the Highland, cream-
CROWDIE—essentially whipped
cream — is more popular.
Masks— It is unknown how
long masks have been a part of This ¡929 ad for masks includes not just a pumpkin-head, but also
Halloween; although there is a turnip-face (lower right).
Matches 132

the use of Halloween masking hasn’t always Matches— Several Halloween FORTUNE-
been enthusiastically endorsed—a 1951 Hal- TELLING customs involve matches. In one, a
loween party book suggests that “masks may match is lit over a sink full of WATER; when
easily encourage rowdyism at a large party, the match tip falls, its direction will indicate
and should not be allowed.” where one’s true love can be found. If the
Masks were at first simple, made of match burns up without breaking, the true
cardboard or paper and sold by paper man- love is already present, and you may have one
ufacturers like Dennison’s. Buckram — the wish instead.
same stiffened cloth used in bookbinding — Another practice involves trying to
was probably the most popular material for blow out a match flame through a funnel of
Halloween masks through the middle of the paper, and suggests that:
20th century; buckram masks might be If you blow it the first time you’ll marry for
manufactured by companies like A. S. Fish- love.
bach (in which case they might be waxed or If the second, because you rate beauty
have a layer of painted rayon), but they were above.
also frequently homemade. In the 1950s, If the third, you will marry for money in
plastic manufacturing boomed, and plastic sight,
masks began to dominate the Halloween And if not then, your marriage will just be
market. Plastic masks typically covered only for spite.
the face (and were held on by elastic strings), In another divination, a lighted match
whereas buckram and the later rubber masks held in the right hand was used to trace a cir-
incorporated full over-the-head designs. cle in the air; if the match was still burning
Buckram and rubber masks also often had when the motion was completed, marriage
hair attached (although the hair might be within the year was certain.
made of a material like straw or cotton),
whereas hair on plastic masks was simply Matrimony, St.—Because Halloween was
sculpted into the design. the key holiday in the year for practicing love
In the 1960s, the leading manufacturer spells and romantic FORTUNE-TELLING cus-
of masks was Don Post Studios in North toms, there are a few nineteenth and early
Hollywood. Post had acquired an exclusive twentieth century references (especially on
license to recreate the Universal movie mon- postcards) to a non-existent “Saint Matri-
sters (the first one was produced in 1948, mony” as the holiday’s patron saint.
when Post released a Frankenstein mask May Day— The first of May was BELTANE in
based on the monster as portrayed by actor the old Celtic calendar, and marked one of
Glenn Strange). In 1966 Post released the the two turning points of the year (SAMHAIN,
Deluxe Universal line, or “the Calendar or November 1, was the other). Like SAMHAIN
Masks,” so called because they were featured and Halloween, May Day (the eve of which
in a monster calendar released that year. was also known as WALPURGISNACHT ) had
These masks, which were sculpted by Pat customs involving BONFIRES, WITCHES and
Newman, are among the most COLLECTIBLE FORTUNE-TELLING. One British belief held that
of masks now. Don Post Studios, which pro- witches took the form of hares on that day,
duces about a million masks a year, says its and hares found among cattle were killed.
all-time bestseller is the Tor Johnson mask In a magazine article from 1895, M. E.
(Johnson was the Swedish wrestler who Leicester Addis tries to argue in favor of a
starred in Edward D. Wood Jr.’s Plan Nine greater American celebration of May Day by
From Outer Space, and whose hulking, bald noting that “We have adopted Halloween as
visage has become common at sporting our own; why not its companion and sister
events as well as at Halloween). feast…?”
 133 Miccailhuitl and Miccailhuitontli

Memorial Day (also Decoration Day)— the creation of the xocotl, a huge tree which
Sometimes called a “lay ALL SOULS’ DAY,” this was felled, stripped, and brought into town,
American holiday is celebrated on May 30 in where it was greeted with singing, dancing
honor of those who have died in military ser- and food offerings. On the twentieth day of
vice. Although the exact origin of the day is the tenth month, captives were led first to
uncertain, it probably came about in the the tzompantli, or rack holding the skulls of
wake of the Civil War, when it may first have previous victims; then they were led to the
been instituted by General John A. Logan, top of the temple, where they were thrown
commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of into a fire and their hearts were removed.
the Republic. In 1868, he called on all sol- The sixteenth-century Dominican friar Fray
diers to visit the resting places of their fallen Diego Durán recorded that after the sacrifice,
comrades-in-arms. By 1897 it was a legal hol- dances were performed around the xocotl by
iday in most states, celebrated with cemetery nobles “covered with feathers and jewels,”
visits, PARADES and patriotic speeches. Un- and with painted bodies.
like Halloween, however, Memorial Day has Another description of Miccailhuitl
no iconography or symbolism of its own, but mentions that the feast began on the third of
seems to share the patriotic red, white and August, and that food and drink were placed
blue motif of the Fourth of July (albeit with- on the tombs of the dead for four years after
out that holiday’s gleeful spirit). their death, since the Aztecs believed the
Romanians celebrate a Memorial Day souls had to endure a difficult four-year jour-
on May 31; food, drink, money and dari
(presents) are given away (especially to chil-
dren), in the belief that “Whatever one gives
away in this world one gets back tenfold in
the next.”
Mexico see Days of the Dead
Miccailhuitl and Miccailhuitontli— The
two most widely recorded Aztec festivals of
the dead, which probably served (at least in
part) as the basis for contemporary Mexican
and Mexican-American celebrations of DAYS
OF THE DEAD . Miccailhuitontli means the
“Little Feast of the Dead” (sometimes known
as “Feast of the Little Dead Ones”), and hon-
ored the spirits of deceased children (just as
October 31 does in many contemporary
Mexican celebrations), while Miccailhuitl
means “Great Feast of the Dead” (occasion-
ally called “Feast of the Adult Dead”), and
honored the adult spirits. These two feasts
were also known as the Tlaxochimaco, “The
Offering of Flowers,” and the Xocotl uetzi,
“The Xocotl Falls” (xocotl is a fruit). The
feasts were held in the ninth and tenth
months of the Aztec year (which included 18
months). Festivities included offerings of Dancer costumed in Aztec garb in Days of
FOOD and FLOWERS, feasting and dancing, and the Dead celebration
Michaelmas 134

ney to the afterlife. It is also recorded that evil. In certain areas of Britain, for example,
the larger feast began on August 23, and in- farmers would patrol their fields one hour
cluded a verbal invitation to the dead to join before midnight on Halloween, keeping an
their families. eye out for WITCHES or FAIRIES.
The Aztecs had several other days ded- In Ireland, an old SUPERSTITION was that
icated to remembrance of the dead, includ- one must be inside by midnight on Hal-
ing one held in the eighteenth month which loween, because at that time the doors of
included a family gathering, a feast of PURGATORY were opened and the dead souls
tamales (still a traditional Days of the Dead were released to wander the earth.
food), and offerings to the dead.
Midsummer’s Eve— Although the summer
Although debate continues over how
solstice technically falls on June 21, mid-
much influence these pre–Columbian rituals
summer is usually celebrated (in Europe) on
had on the contemporary Days of the Dead,
June 24, the Feast of St. John the Baptist. The
Durán noted that “…the feast has been
festivities include BONFIRES, processions and
passed to the Feast of Allhallows, in order to
FORTUNE-TELLING customs (especially those
cover up the ancient ceremony.”
involving HEMP SEED). Some customs are sea-
Michaelmas—The feast day of the archangel sonal, such as those that pertain to freshly-
Michael (in the Book of Common Prayer the bloomed ROSES, but others are shared with
day is dedicated to Michael and All Angels), Halloween (and, like Halloween or ALL
kept on September 29, and one of the four SAINTS’ DAY, are celebrated on the night be-
QUARTER DAYS of the English business year. fore the holiday). One Midsummer’s Eve
In the Roman Catholic Church the day now custom was “the Church Porch Watch,”
commemorates Gabriel and Raphael as well. which involved a night-long vigil from the
Michael is usually depicted wielding a sword church porch in order to see apparitions of
and fighting a dragon, which probably de- those who were to die that year (sometimes
rives from a passage in Rev. (12: 7–9), in the apparitions were even said to come and
which Michael leads the angels in a fight knock at the door). This custom (which is
against a dragon, who is actually the DEVIL. further described under CHURCHES) was
Michaelmas, like Halloween, was cele- widespread in parts of Great Britain into the
brated in the past with BONFIRES, special “St. nineteenth century (and was also celebrated
Michael’s cakes,” a feast of roast goose (like at St. Mark’s Church on St. Mark’s Eve, April
MARTINMAS), and certain forms of FORTUNE- 25).
TELLING: For example a ring (foretelling early In The Sketch Book, WASHINGTON IRVING
marriage for whoever found it) might be notes that “on Midsummer eve … it is well
hidden in the “Michaelmas pie.” In The known all kinds of ghosts, goblins, and
Vicar of Wakefield, Oliver Goldsmith refers fairies become visible and walk abroad.”
to “religiously cracked nuts on Michaelmas,”
Milfoil (also yarrow)—An herb gathered on
suggesting that Michaelmas also shared some
Halloween and placed beneath the pillow to
of Halloween’s uses of NUTS.
provoke DREAMS of future husbands.
Midnight— The traditional hour of most
Milk— In parts of Brittany, it was once the
magic or evil, especially on Halloween; the
custom on TOUSSAINT to pour milk over or
boundary between one day and the next (or,
near the tombs of one’s ancestors.
on SAMHAIN, one year and the next). Most
FORTUNE-TELLING customs specify midnight Mirrors—There are numerous variations on
as the hour at which the ritual must be con- the well-known Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING
ducted, and midnight was also a time to pro- legend of seeing the face of one’s future
tect crops and livestock from the forces of beloved in a mirror. In perhaps the most
 135 Mirrors

popular version, the seeker holds a CANDLE the number of reflections she will know how
in one hand and a mirror in the other, and many pleasant things will happen to her over
walks BACKWARDS down steps; at the bottom the next 12 months. Another American div-
of the stairs, the beloved’s face will appear in ination suggests that at the stroke of mid-
the mirror. A variation suggests that the night on Halloween, a woman stand with her
seeker must walk backwards outside beneath back to a mirror while holding another mir-
the MOON to the middle of a cornfield while ror, and she will see her future husband’s face
these words are spoken: in the reflection.
A Scottish custom also involved COINS:
Round and round, o stars so fair! At midnight on Halloween, the one seeking
Ye travel and search out everywhere;
one’s fortune went to one’s room alone, with
I pray you, sweet stars, now show to me
This night who my future husband (wife) a SIEVE and three silver coins, and stood be-
shall be! tween the mirror and the window, with one’s
back to the latter, and while gazing stead-
An American variation notes that while fastly into the mirror sifted the coins con-
walking downstairs backwards (and carry- tinuously. Presently one would behold in the
ing a mirror), each step must be counted; at glass the panorama of their future life.
the thirteenth one will see a reflection of
one’s future husband. A late nineteenth-cen-
tury version from Atlanta, Georgia, mentions
that the woman’s hair must be unfastened,
her feet bare, and she must recite a short
verse. A version for men recommends stand-
ing before a mirror in a dark room, and after
reciting a small chant the man would see
numbers form on the mirror, indicating the
letters of the alphabet that made up his future
spouse’s name.
One classic divination suggests that a
girl stand before a mirror on Halloween at
MIDNIGHT and slice an APPLE into NINE slices,
holding each on the tip of a knife before she
eats it. As she holds up the ninth slice, the
image of her future husband will appear over
her left shoulder, asking for the final slice. It
is sometimes indicated that this ritual must
be performed by moonlight, and may be
practiced on any moonlit night during Oc-
tober or November.
Another method of mirror fortune-
telling says that if a young unmarried woman
stands before a mirror on Halloween and
combs her HAIR, then the face of her future in-
tended will appear in the mirror, glancing
over her shoulder.
An American custom involves standing Vintage Halloween postcard showing a
so that through a window a woman may see woman moving backwards at midnight while
the moon in a glass she holds; if she counts enacting a mirror divination.
Mischief Night 136

In an interesting variation of the party Mistletoe—Supposedly revered by the Celtic

fortune-telling game involving WITCHES’ INK, DRUIDS (especially when found growing on
a message was written on a mirror in chalk an oak), mistletoe is usually associated with
and then erased. The guest would breathe CHRISTMAS, when it is hung above doorways
gently onto the mirror, which would then re- where anyone found standing beneath it may
veal the written message. be kissed; but there are a few reports of it
being used for similar purposes at Halloween
Mischief Night— A night of PRANKING vari- celebrations, especially in late nineteenth-
ously reported as April 30 (May Eve), Octo- century America.
ber 30 (also known as DEVIL’S NIGHT), Octo- Mistletoe also had protective powers: If
ber 31 (Halloween) or November 4 (the night a sprig was cut with a new knife on Hal-
before GUY FAWKES DAY). In the 1950s the loween after the cutter had walked THREE
date was reported across many English coun- times around the oak tree sunwise, it was a
ties as November 4, but in the nineteenth sure guard against harm in battle or evil
century it was widely recorded as April 30. charms perpetrated by WITCHES.
Regarding the November 4 date, much of the
Money see Coins; Debts
pilfering on this night was to gather material
for Guy Fawkes Day BONFIRES. In other areas Mongfind (also Mongfinn, Moingf hionn,
of Britain (especially Scotland), the name has Moingf hinne)— A Celtic character who is
almost always been known to refer to Hal- somewhat enigmatic. In some accounts she is
loween. A 1914 account of Mischief Night a mythological sorceress; in others she was
records it as occurring on All Hallows E’en, the daughter of Fidach of Munster, wife of
and describes activities very similar to Amer- King Eochu Muigmedon and stepmother of
ican Halloween prankplaying of the same pe- Niall; in yet another account she is a snow or
riod: “…I have known doors taken off frost goddess; and she is also sometimes con-
hinges, gates opened, doors whitewashed, fused with the goddess Morrigan. In virtually
and door latches tied.” In a few parts of all of her different aspects she presents the
Britain and mainly the U.S. (East Coast), it characteristics of a warrior queen, and in
is the night of October 30. Acts range from some stories she was said to be the one who
simple pranking (tying doorknobs together, trained or tested future kings. She suppos-
moving GATES, etc.) to outright vandalism edly died one SAMHAIN Eve when she took
(smashing bus shelters, hurling bricks poison prepared for her brother; thereafter
through windows and lighting fixtures, etc.). some of the peasantry called Samhain Feile
Mischief Night has been in the news Moing f hinne or “the Festival of Mongfind,”
several times for unfortunate reasons: In because on that night women addressed pe-
2001, the November 4 prankplaying in Hal- titions to her and celebrated her prowess as
ifax (Great Britain) got out of hand, when a witch.
smashed windows led to the destruction by
Monologs— Another popular form of Hal-
arson of the Actors Workshop theatre school
loween entertainment in America during the
(several cars were also burned out); the
1920s and 1930s. Unlike RECITATIONS (also
night’s actions further enflamed tensions be-
designed as solo performances), monologs
tween Muslims and whites in this post 9/11
are not rhyming performances, and the per-
community. A year later, in 2002, Michael
former usually portrays another character,
Skakel, nephew to Robert F. Kennedy, was
often in costume.
convicted of beating 15-year-old Martha
Moxley to death on Mischief Night (Octo- Moon—Since the moon will be in a different
ber 30) in 1975. See also BEGGAR’S NIGHT; phase at each Halloween, it figures in very
GOOSEY NIGHT. few divinations (FORTUNE-TELLING customs
 137 Muck Olla

involving MIRRORS must sometimes be per- Some astronomers have suggested that
formed beneath the moon). However, the JACK-O’-LANTERN carving was inspired by the
moon is a prominent feature in Halloween “harvest moon” seen in October.
decorations, often shown with WITCHES,
Mother Goose— Traditional collection of
OWLS, or black CATS.
nursery rhymes dating back over 300 years
The moon is part of at least one odd
which has provided a theme for the Hal-
American custom, but it is a paper moon: A
loween celebrations of very young children
cardboard moon is hung on a wall at the Hal-
since at least the early 20th century (when
loween party. Each guest is blindfolded, then
both Halloween CELEBRATIONS and illustrated
turned about THREE times; if, after the blind-
editions of Mother Goose became popular).
fold is removed, the moon can be seen over
Mother Goose characters including Little Bo
the right shoulder, good luck is to follow.
Peep, Miss Muffet, Jack Horner, Old Mother
The moon also features in several
Hubbard, and The Pumpkin Eater were early
American SUPERSTITIONS: One says that if the
popular choices for children’s Halloween
moon is half full on the night before Hal-
COSTUMES, and the nursery rhymes have also
loween, it will rain for three days. Another
provided themes for children’s PARTIES and
holds that the half-full moon on that night
performances. An 1889 description of a
actually portends bad luck for the coming
Mother Goose-themed Halloween party at
month.
Vassar College describes games and cos-
Full moons on Halloween are rare; 2001
tumes, and RUTH EDNA KELLEY’s 1919 The
saw the first in over 30 years.
Book of Hallowe’en suggests a Mother Goose
recital for Halloween entertainments; the
Dennison’s BOGIE BOOKS recommend “Jack
Horner Pies” for table centerpieces at chil-
dren’s Halloween parties, and a 1915 Hal-
loween party guide suggests a “Mother Hal-
lowe’en” theme for a party presentation. By
1937, city planners looking to entertain chil-
dren at Halloween (rather than allow them to
engage in malicious PRANKING) commonly
suggested Mother Goose parties (along with
PIRATE and HOBO themed celebrations). Char-
acters like Miss Muffet and Bo Peep remain
popular for both children’s and adults’ cos-
tumes.
One URBAN LEGEND, which has been
around in various forms since 1968, suggests
that a homicidal maniac dressed as Bo Peep
will be stalking a college campus or dormi-
tory on Halloween night.
Mountain Ash see Rowan
Mrastyr—Traditional Manx Halloween sup-
per, made of potatoes, parsnips and fish
pounded and mixed with butter.
This Halloween clicker noisemaker (note
toad shape to clicker) shows the moon Muck Olla— An Irish tradition that contin-
along with other Halloween symbols. ued as long as the early twentieth century,
Mumming 138

and may have been a precursor of TRICK OR dividual performances of song or dance.
TREAT. In this ritual, a group of young men Women or girls did not typically participate
were led on All Hallows’ Eve from house-to- in mumming.
house by a white-robed man in a horsehead On the Isle of Man, mummers used to
MASK, called Lair Bhan (White Horse). At go around on Halloween singing in the Manx
each house the young men blew horns (also language “Tonight is New Year’s Night, Hog-
a feature of Scottish HOGMANAY mumming), manay!” (the Manx associated Halloween
and demanded tribute to “Muck Olla,” a leg- with the Celtic NEW YEAR’S celebration of
endary boar spirit, who would ensure the SAMHAIN).
farmer’s continuing prosperity. Tribute was
typically paid in the form of butter, eggs and Music— Although Halloween is not gener-
farm produce. Muck Olla is occasionally re- ally associated with any music, the holiday
ferred to as a Celtic deity, but there is no ev- nevertheless has some musical connections.
idence in Celtic literature to support this. Throughout the British Isles, SOULING and
MUMMING have involved some form of
Mummering; Mummers see Mumming
singing, and the Irish and Scots have several
Mumming (also mummering)— From the Halloween legends involving either pipers or
Danish word mumme, meaning to parade in fiddlers. One such is the story of Ned Pugh
MASKS. Mumming occurs at holidays all over (or Iolo ap Huw in Welsh), who entered the
the world, and is one of the most popular cave of Tal y Clegyr (which was regarded as
British calendar customs. Although it takes a place of wonder) on Halloween (in one ver-
on many different forms, mumming typi- sion of the story Iolo was drawn into the cave
cally involves a masked or disguised perfor- by mysterious hands). He disappeared there
mance (often of a traditional “mumming while playing “Ffarwel Ned Puw,” or “Ned
play”) offered at each house in a neighbor- Pugh’s Farewell,” which has been retained in
hood in return for some reward, usually of memory of him. In a Welsh version of the
food or drink. Mumming is performed at story, a shepherd, hurrying past the mouth
different seasons throughout Great Britain, of the cave on Halloween, heard a burst of
but in Cheshire it is specifically a Halloween wild fiddling, and saw Iolo, but his head was
activity, where the mummers are known as loose, as if it was about to fall off, and he bore
soulcakers or soulers. The typical mumming an expression of horrible agony. A lighted
play begins with an intro-
duction of the mumming
team, then follows a rough
plot in which a hero takes
on a rival champion, and is
badly wounded in combat.
A doctor is called for (in
Halloween plays the doctor
typically arrives on a “wild
horse”), and, usually after
some playful banter about
the doctor’s fees, the hero is
brought back to life. The
play closes with a short
speech asking for food or
money, although the players
may follow the play with in- 1909 postcard showing a musical Halloween celebration
 139 Needles

lantern suspended by a rope hung between as part of Halloween PAGEANTS by school

his shoulders, and the head and horns of a children, rather than sung by families or car-
goat were fastened upon his breast. The olers. Nineteenth-century PARTIES often in-
shepherd watched until Iolo was drawn back cluded a singalong, with current songs (i.e.
into the cave; then, two years later the shep- “My Sweetheart’s the Man in the Moon”)
herd was in church early on CHRISTMAS that had a Halloween flavor.
morning when he heard the same music In Ireland the folk song “Is Fada O
coming from beneath his feet. The shepherd Bhaile A D’Aithneoinn” tells the story of a girl
whistled the tune to the vicar, who trans- who has lost her love, and who believes she
posed it into music, thus creating “Ffarwel will die before the next Halloween.
Ned Puw.” In the other world, Ned or Iolo Halloween in America has acquired
exchanged his fiddle for a bugle, and so be- something of a theme song: The immensely
came hunstman-in-chief to Gwyn ab Wud; popular “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris”
now, every Halloween he may be found Pickett. Additionally, Halloween-themed
cheering Cwn Annwn, “the Hounds of the CDs and compilations continue to sell well
Other World,” over Cader Idris (see also every year. By the 21st century, there were a
SPECTRE HUNTSMAN). number of Halloween-themed internet radio
Like Christmas carols, Halloween once stations, most of which play throughout the
boasted its own songs, although they often year, and may feature anything from old
took their music from existing tunes (“When radio plays and horror movie soundtracks to
Johnny Comes Marching Home” became contemporary rock songs with a horror
“When Hallowe’en Comes Round Again,” theme.
for example), and were frequently performed

N
National Magic Day—October 31 is also Na- Needles— Needles figure in both Halloween
tional Magic Day in the United States. The day protective charms and Halloween FORTUNE-
was instituted in 1938 by a magician named TELLING. In one divination, 25 new needles
Les Sholty who originally suggested that Oc- are lined up on a plate; WATER is poured over
tober 31st be “Houdini Day,” in honor HARRY them, and the ways in which the needles
HOUDINI, who died on October 31, 1926; Mrs. move are then read (i.e., crossed needles in-
Houdini gave her blessing to calling the day dicate enemies who are sharp-tongued). In a
National Magic Day in honor of Houdini. Not variation of this custom, each person at a
long thereafter, the week prior became Na- party placed a greased needle on the surface
tional Magic Week, and is still celebrated with of water in a basin; movement to or away
magic displays in libraries and free perfor- from other needles was prophetic (or,
mances by magicians all over the country. The specifically, two needles would foretell
Society of American Magicians (for which whether lovers would come together or move
Houdini had served as president for the nine apart). In another custom, new pins or nee-
years prior to his death) encourages its local dles were used to prick sweethearts’ initials in
assemblies to celebrate the week, and at the dough as part of a DUMB CAKE ritual.
conclusion of the week the assemblies receive Another fortune-telling GAME involved
recognition on the Society’s website. participants trying to thread a needle while
Neep Lanterns 140

seated on a round bottle placed lengthwise Neo-Pagans— Neo-Pagans are typically

on the floor; the first to succeed would of those who have polytheistic and animistic
course be the first to be wed. beliefs; they include WICCANS, Reformed
One particularly unwholesome Ameri- DRUIDS, Odinists, Feraferia and others. Most
can game suggested that a fortune-seeker run Neo-Pagans hold Halloween or SAMHAIN as a
around the square with a mouthful of pins major festival day or QUARTER DAY; among
and needles, then return home and look in a Wiccans, for example, it is one of their eight
MIRROR, to see either the face of a future hus- “sabbats.” Some Neo-Pagans also refer to the
band or a COFFIN. day as Shadowfest or ANCESTOR NIGHT.
In one other divination method, a boy
Nera—The hero at the center of possibly the
and girl were paired off, and one held a
most famous Celtic SAMHAIN myth: One
thread while the other held a needle. If they
Samhain in CRUACHAN, clan leaders Ailell
could successfully thread the needle, they
and Maeve say they’ll reward any man who
were destined for each other. Onlookers
can put a gad (a coil of twisted twigs) about
might chant:
the foot of either of two men hanged on the
Needly, thready, gallows the day before. Some warriors try,
Steady! Steady! but because it is Samhain they all return.
Where’s the thread? The needle’s ready. Nera volunteers (to win the gold-hilted
Now you have it, and now you don’t! sword Ailell has offered), and he succeeds.
Now she will, and now she won’t! When he puts the coil about the corpse’s
Aim it true, and aim it straight,
foot, the corpse speaks to him; the dead man
And behold your future Fate!
says he died thirsty and would like a drink.
Needles were also a means of protection Nera hauls the dead man on his back to a
from evil forces on Halloween: A steel needle nearby house, to get a drink, but the dead
placed in a collar or sleeve was defense man spits the drink into the faces of the
against malicious FAIRIES for late-night Hal- house’s inhabitants, who all die. Nera returns
loween travelers, or a needle stuck in the the corpse to the gallows, and upon his re-
doorway of a fairy mound would allow one turn Nera sees all of Cruachan in flames. He
to enter and leave safely. sees a sidhe army and follows it into a hill,
where he spends three days. He takes a wife
Neep Lanterns—JACK-O’-LANTERN made by who tells him the secret location of the crown
scooping out a TURNIP and placing a CANDLE of the king of Brium (one of the three great
inside. “Neep” (which is derived from the wonders of Ireland), and tells him to return
Latin napus) is actually closer to the root to Cruachan and ready the men for the next
word than the more commonly known Samhain, since the sidhe army can only at-
“turnip” is. tack then. Nera’s wife also tells him that the
sight of the devastated Cruachan was an il-
Neighbors— A number of FORTUNE-TELLING
lusion, and that he must return to Cruachan;
customs depend on hearing a neighbor utter
to prove his story, he’s given summer flowers.
a name which would be that of the future
Nera goes back to Ailell and Maeve, who are
husband or wife. Although these customs
convinced when he produces summer flow-
usually involve an agent such as WATER, a
ers (in autumn) and he spends the year with
BROOM or a part of a cart loaded with the
them. On the next Samhain they invade the
CORN harvest, at least one Irish custom
hill and steal the crown, but Nera stays be-
specifies simply that a girl go to a neighbor’s
hind forever inside the hill.
door on Halloween and listen, and the first
name she would hear spoken would be that New Year’s—New Year’s Day includes many
of her future husband. customs and celebrations which are strangely
 141 Noisemakers

similar to Halloween (which was, after all, spicier entrees and alcoholic drink. On No-
the CELTS’ New Year’s Day, or SAMHAIN). For vember 2, rockets are fired off, food is taken
example, in the British Isles rituals were per- and placed on the tombs in the cemetery, and
formed to protect houses from malevolent special altars are left outside houses for or-
forces (one such ritual involved striking a phaned spirits. On Xa aktumajat, or the oc-
dried cow-hide with a stick and beating on tave days of November 8 and 9, families bid
the walls of each house while special rhymes farewell to first the spirit children, then, on
were pronounced). In Allendale, Northum- the following day, the departing ghosts. Fi-
berland (in England), the new year is wel- nally on San Andres (November 30), a final
comed by costumed men who make a BON- farewell is said to the ghosts, who will not re-
FIRE partly out of tar barrels. On the Isle of turn until next season.
Man, many of the FORTUNE-TELLING rituals Totonac storytellers have their own Day
observed on Halloween (or the old New of the Dead ghost story about a young man
Year’s Eve) are also observed on the modern who did not prepare for Ninin, but instead
New Year’s Eve. In the Scottish New Year’s went out with his friends. Upon returning
celebration of HOGMANAY, costumed MUM- home, he encountered a group of the dead,
MING was observed. including his own parents; all the dead hap-
pily carried offerings except his relatives,
Nine— The number nine figures promi-
who sobbed. The young man hurried home
nently in many Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING
and set out offerings, but he took ill and died
customs; for example, an APPLE is sliced into
soon thereafter, and the offerings instead
nine pieces, or HEMP SEED is sowed over nine
served as food during his funeral.
ridges. The importance of nine is undoubt-
edly due to the fact that THREE is an important Noisemakers— Halloween noisemakers
number in both Celtic and Christian tradi- were once an essential part of Halloween,
tions, and three is also the square root of first in the early twentieth century when
nine. PRANKING was popular, then in the latter half

Ninin—DAYS OF THE DEAD

celebration found among the
Totonac Indians in the Mexi-
can state of Veracruz, Ninín or
Days of the Dead actually be-
gins on October 18 (San
Lucas), although preparations
(gathering of food and wood
for altar-building, etc.) usu-
ally start two months or so
previously. On the eighteenth,
food offerings are made to the
deceased and to the saints. On
October 31, the altars are
finished, and sweet, mild
foods are put out in anticipa-
tion of the returning spirits of
dead children. On the follow-
ing day the children depart Vintage Halloween noisemakers, including a tambourine, a
and the adult souls arrive; the horn, a rattle, a clicker, a whistle, a “frying-pan,” a “mallet,”
food is accordingly changed, to and two ratchet styles.
Nos Cala Gaeaf 142

when TRICK OR TREATING had largely replaced replaced by the Gregorian calendar); in some
pranking. During the pranking period, areas, November Eve was still celebrated on
noisemakers were often homemade and de- the day before November 11 even after the
signed to startle unsuspecting neighbors; calendar change.
probably the most popular noisemakers at “November Eve” is also the title of one
this time were the TICKTACK and the RATTLE- of the most well-known stories about FAIRIES
TRAP or horse fiddle (now commonly known on Halloween.
as a “ratchet”). When trick or treating be-
came popular, noisemakers, like COSTUMES, November the 5th see Guy Fawkes
largely ceased being homemade and were Day/Night
mass-produced in a variety of styles, nearly
Numbers see Nine; Three
all featuring colorful graphics. Carl B. Holm-
berg, in his article “Things That Go Snap- Nutcrack Night— A British name for Hal-
Rattle-Clang-Toot-Crank in the Night: Hal- loween, because of the custom of placing
loween Noisemakers,” suggests that NUTS on the fire to crack (a form of divina-
noisemakers were replaced by Halloween- tion). Should not be confused with “Crack-
themed movies and soundtracks, by adults nut Sunday,” a tradition celebrated in the
playing atmospheric MUSIC or sound effects area of Kingston-upon-Thames on the Sun-
to greet trick-or-treaters, and even by heavy day before MICHAELMAS; parishioners filled
metal music. their pockets with nuts, which they cracked
As with many other COLLECTIBLES, the so loudly during the service that it had to be
earliest noisemakers were produced in Ger- suspended at times. This practice was abol-
many, and were usually rattletraps of wood, ished about the end of the eighteenth cen-
often featuring a small composition Hal- tury.
loween character (a black CAT or a PUMPKIN)
perched atop the noisemaker. Later the toys Nutmeg see Nuts
were manufactured in the U.S., usually made
of tin and wood (later tin and plastic), and Nuts— As with APPLES the significance of
produced almost entirely by four companies: nuts at Halloween is often linked to the
J. Chein, T. Cohn, U.S. Metal Toy and, espe- Roman harvest goddess POMONA, but prob-
cially, Kirchhof (which eventually dropped ably stems more from Celtic beliefs. The
one “h” from its name). Noisemakers in- CELTS especially venerated HAZELNUTS, and
cluded rattletraps or ratchets (in square, nuts and apples are often linked in Celtic
round and oval shapes), bells, whistles, “fry- lore.
ing pan” clangers, rattles (in both round and A Scottish FORTUNE-TELLING belief cen-
“mallet” styles), tambourines, clickers or tered on the burning of nuts on Halloween:
“crickets” (which often used a traditional A pair of nuts are named for each member
toad shape, with Halloween graphics applied of a couple, then placed on a fire. If they burn
to the existing form), squeakers and horns to ashes together, the couple will enjoy a
(including “blow-outs”). long, happy life together; but if they sputter
and roll apart, they will separate soon. Some-
Nos Calan Gaeaf (also Nos-Galan-Gaeof or times this rhyme was recited as the nuts were
Nos Cyn Calan gauaf)—“The Night of the placed:
Winter Calends”; a Welsh name for SAMHAIN.
If you hate me spit and fly;
November Eve— Another name for Hal- If you love me burn away.
loween, especially used in Western Ireland.
Originally November 1 fell on what is now A less pleasant variant of this rhyme from
November 11 (before the Julian calendar was Sussex was recorded:
 143 Nuts

The ill-matched couple fret and fume,

And thus in strife themselves consume;
Or from each other wildly start,
And with a noise forever part.
But see the happy, happy pair,
Of genuine love and truth sincere;
With mutual fondness while they burn,
Still to each other kindly turn;
And as the vital sparks decay,
Together gently sink away;
Till life’s fierce trials being past,
Their mingled ashes rest at last.

A variation is suggested in this anonymous

1937 poem, “The Test of the Nuts”:
I’ve named three nuts and placed them
Side by side on the grate,
The one which cracks is unfaithful,
The lover I know I should hate.
The one which blazes with brilliant fire,
Tells of high regard, ’tis said,
But the one which burns with a steady
flame
Names the man whom I shall wed.

Sometimes this method involved only

two hazelnuts, with the choice involving nuts
which cracked (unfaithful) against nuts
An Ellen Clapsaddle postcard showing nuts which burned steadily to ashes (true). A vari-
used in Halloween fortune-telling.
ation of the three-nut custom involves THREE
If he loves me, pop and fly, chestnuts named and placed on a HEARTH. If
If he hates me, lie and die. they separate, so will those for whom they
are named; those jumping toward the fire are
The ASHES from the nuts might be collected going to a warmer climate; those jumping
and placed under the pillow to promote from the fire, to a colder climate; if two gen-
prophetic DREAMS. tlemen jump toward one another, it means
In a version from Hertfordshire, a girl rivalry. In a Welsh custom, nuts thrown onto
threw one nut on the fire, which represented a BONFIRE predict the future: If the flames
her true love. If the nut burst quickly, it was dance about when the nuts are thrown in,
a good omen, but if it never burst at all, the the coming year will be full of fun and ex-
unfortunate girl was destined for spinster- citement; but if the flames don’t change, the
hood. A variation of this custom is more coming year will be dull.
specific: CHESTNUTS are used; if one hisses In another roasting custom, a nut was
and steams, it indicates a bad temper in the named for each person present, and placed
human counterpart, but if both perform in on the fire. If a nut burned quietly, life would
this manner, it augurs strife. Charles Gray- be even and uneventful; if it popped right
don lays out the custom in these lines from out of the grate, it might mean that that per-
“On Nuts Burning, Allhallows Eve”: son would travel; if it stayed in the grate but
These glowing nuts are emblems true popped and exploded the owner would have
Of what in human life we view: an exciting time without traveling; and if the
Oats 144

nut burnt up, the owner would not get his In Wales, on Halloween people would
or her wish. cast WALNUTS or hazelnuts (or sometimes
One fortune-telling method involved stones or pebbles) into the fire. When these
three different nuts— a walnut, a hazelnut, were shot out by the heat, or if the nuts burst,
and a nutmeg — which were grated together the younger folk ran away, fearing the “gob-
and mixed with butter and sugar into pills. lin black-tailed sow” would come and drive
A young woman seeking to know the occu- them into the flue.
pation of her future husband took the pills One British party GAME involved chest-
just before bedtime on Halloween, and her nutting on Halloween; the one finding the
dreams supposedly foretold her future: first burr would be the first to marry. If the
Golden dreams indicated a gentleman; odd burr opened easily, love would not last long;
noises and tumults, a tradesman; and thun- if it was hard to open, then the romance
der and lightning, a traveler. would be lasting. See also ACORNS.

O
Oats— Oats (which are often referred to as husband reaping the oats (sometimes these
CORN) figured in a number of FORTUNE - ears must be drawn from the maiden-sheaf,
TELLING customs. In a Scottish divination, or CORN DOLLY). In one American custom, a
girls went to the barnyard on Halloween and young man put NINE grains of oats in his
pulled THREE different stalks of oats; if the mouth and took a walk; the first name he
third stalk lacked the “top-pickle,” or grain at heard would be the name of his future wife.
the top of the stalk, the puller would enter In Ireland, this same ritual was practiced
into marriage no longer a virgin. This custom with the sexes reversed. A 1927 Halloween
is gently mocked by R OBERT BURNS in his party pamphlet suggests that the savvy host-
poem “Hallowe’en,” when Rob helps Nelly ess will send a man out one door of the house
lose her “tap-pickle … when kiuttlin in the and his ideal partner out of another.
fause-house/wi’ him that night.” Oats were also used in an Irish HARVEST
A more modest variant is suggested by divination: For a good harvest, an oat CAKE
this 1920 poem: was placed under the pillow the night before
harvest; in the morning one had to eat the
A maiden pulls three stalks of oats,
oat cake before opening one’s eyes.
And if, upon the third,
That maiden finds no head of grain,
Oats had protective powers on Hal-
Her marriage is assured. loween as well. In Ireland, oaten meal and
SALT were mixed and sprinkled with holy
In a variant of this custom, the number of water; during the Halloween meal a pinch of
top-grains counted in a handful of oats in- this mixture was taken by the mother or any
dicated the number of children the grain- older member of the FAMILY, and the sign of
counter would have. In another version, the Cross was applied to the forehead of each
three ears of “corn” (oats) were drawn from member of the family. This would protect
the stack after dark on Halloween, and placed them from evil spirits and FAIRIES during the
under the pillow by an unmarried girl. In her coming year.
dreams that night she would see her future Oatmeal and salt (a dry mixture) might
 145 O’Hanlon, Shaun

also be applied to children’s’ heads on Hal-

loween night to keep fairies from stealing
them away.
Obon see Bon Festival
Ocean see Sea
Odawa Ghost Supper— A celebration of the
dead held on or around November 2nd by
the Odawa Indians of Michigan. The cele-
bration is similar to Mexican DAYS OF THE
DEAD festivities, with a feast given and gifts
offered to deceased loved ones, and special
wreaths made for decoration of graves and
tombs. Prior to the arrival of missionaries,
the Ghost Supper was celebrated in the
spring and involved making the offerings di-
rectly to the uncovered remains of the de-
ceased. The festival is still celebrated, and in-
cludes a ceremonial fire which the first plate
of food is offered to; the festivities are open
to the public, and usually draw hundreds of
guests.
Odilo, St. (961 or 962–1049)— The fifth
Abbot of Cluny, Odilo (or sometimes Days of the Dead ofrenda
Odilon) left a permanent mark on the
Liturgy by introducing ALL SOULS’ DAY. He typically include a painted backdrop, a coffin
was canonized in 1063, and has his own feast with a photo of the deceased atop it, and live
days on January 1 or 2, or on April 29 in the actors dressed as angels, death or other
order. figures. Families are welcome to view these
“living tombs,” and FIREWORKS lit near the
Ofrendas— Although the word “ofrenda” doorway announce a household with a liv-
means “offering,” this Mexican DAYS OF THE ing tomb display.
DEAD custom more commonly refers to the A very popular ofrenda is dedicated
elaborate collages put together in memory each year by Dolores Olmedo to Diego
of deceased family members. Ofrendas typ- Rivera. Set up inside the Anahuacalli Mu-
ically include religious icons, photos of the seum in Mexico City, this very large display
dead, their favorite food and drink, and includes elaborate papercuts, papier mâché
sweets (for deceased children). However, skeletons, painted ceramic figures, flowers,
some ofrendas are more elaborate: The town and sugar skulls.
of Huaquechula is famous for its spectacular Ofrendas have recently been recreated
ofrendas, which often include brightly-col- in the collage art of Mexican-American
ored pottery made specifically for the occa- artists, and are frequently on view in galleries
sion, electric lights, and yards and yards of throughout the Southwest around October.
white satin, meticulously draped and pleated
around these large displays. O’Hanlon, Shaun— An Irish GHOST STORY
Another area, Iguala, prepares tumbas tells of a man who sat down under a
vivientes, or “living tombs.” These displays “haunted tree” on Halloween, and was
Oiche Feil Na Marg 146

greeted by a spectre in black who told him Orne, Martha Russell—American author of
that he had been a member of the Molly non-fiction books (mainly grammar guides)
Maguires and had sold out NINE of his com- and plays who is now chiefly known as the
rades to the government for money; how- author of Hallowe’en: How to Celebrate It
ever, like Judas, he had never spent the (1898), the first book to focus solely on Hal-
money. He told his listener where the hid- loween. The 48-page booklet includes some
den money could be found, and asked that history of Halloween and party tips; it also
it be turned over to a priest, to say nine includes many fortune-telling practices,
prayers. The listener did as told; a year later which seem to be drawn mainly from the
he returned to the haunted tree, and this ROBERT BURNS poem “Hallowe’en.” Many of
time the spectre, now dressed in white, re- the later Halloween party booklets— which
vealed that his name was Shaun O’Hanlon became very popular in the 1920s and
and that, because of the listener’s generos- 1930s— owed a considerable debt to Orne’s
ity, his spirit was finally released after 60 book.
years of wandering. Osier— Species of WILLOW, the branches of
Oiche Feil Na Marg— Irish name for All which are often used in basket-work. In
Souls’ Eve, or the evening of November 1. In some parts of Britain peeled osier twigs were
some areas (especially Northern Ireland), this placed over doors and all entrances on Hal-
is actually the night (rather than the 31st) on loween as a protection against WITCHES (see
which it is believed that souls return to their also ROWAN).
homes from PURGATORY. A typical celebra-
tion would be to leave chairs near a stoked
HEARTH, after the FAMILY had recited a rosary
and retired early. However, the family would
rise at MIDNIGHT, say a longer rosary (15
decades— hence the night’s occasionally
being referred to as “the night of the long
Rosary”), put more fuel on the fire and re-
turn to bed. Some believed the dead returned
for exactly one hour; to accommodate them,
doors were left unlatched on this night.
Oiche Na Spirdeanna—“Spirit Night”; an-
other old Irish name for Halloween.
Oiche Shamhna —Irish name which trans-
lates roughly to “the night of SAMHAIN.”
Oiche Shean Shamhain— Irish for “Old
Halloween Eve,” referring to the night of No-
vember 11 (which was the night of November
1 prior to the change from the Julian to the
Gregorian calendar). This name was still fa-
miliar to some areas of Ireland by the mid-
nineteenth century. Old Halloween Day was
known as Lá Shean Shamhain.
Oidhche Na H-Aimléise— In Waterford,
Halloween is called oídhche na h-aimléise, Cover of Martha Russell Orne’s Hallowe’en:
“the night of mischief or con.” How to Celebrate It
 147 Parades

Owls— Like BATS and CATS, owls are

hunters whose nocturnal habits may be di-
rectly responsible for their association with
Halloween. Owls had some minor role in
Celtic mythology, appearing on artifacts and
in the tale “Math Son of Mathonwy,” in
which the hero Lleu takes revenge on his
adulterous wife by transforming her into an
owl. In modern Scottish Gaelic the owl is
cailleach oidhche, or “night hag,” while in
Welsh it is aderyn y corff, “corpse-bird.” Al-
though ravens figured far more prominently
in Celtic lore, they are rarely seen in Hal-
loween symbolism.
It was once believed that WITCHES could
transform into owls, and owls seen around
farms on Halloween night were killed.
In both literature and folklore the owl’s
cry (especially the barn owl’s screech) means
death or disaster. To see or hear an owl in
daylight is especially ominous, as is having
one knock against a window.
In Wales, if owls were heard hooting on
the evening of MARTINMAS, it was regarded
as a very bad omen for the entire district or Vintage Halloween ratchet noisemaker show-
village. ing an owl with a jack-o’-lantern.

P
Pageants— Popular form of school and Peace” (with 4,000 costumed schoolchild-
church entertainment in the early twentieth ren).
century. Pageants involved many costumed
Pantomimes—A form of entertainment like
children, often portraying historical charac-
a ritualized, highly stylized one-act play,
ters; “Hallowe’ens of Long Ago” was a pop-
often performed in costume. Pantomimes
ular theme, involving children portraying
were popular Halloween entertainments for
DRUIDS, ancient Scots, Romans celebrating
early twentieth-century schoolchildren.
POMONA, etc.; sometimes children also
These PLAYS were often performed with no
dressed as famous characters from fiction,
performers speaking but a narrator or reader.
fairy tales and nursery rhymes, such as
“Humpty Dumpty,” “Jack Be Nimble,” etc. Parades— Although parades have been part
The first major American Halloween pageant of GUY FAWKES DAY celebrations for cen-
was held in Fort Worth, Texas in 1916, with turies, they have been a significant part of
the World War I theme “Preparedness for Halloween for not quite a century. Hal-
Parentalia 148

loween parades first became popular in the of dollars to pet shelters and charities each
1920s and 1930s as a way to provide children year.
with an alternative to destructive PRANKING. Allentown, Pennsylvania held its Hal-
Probably the most famous Halloween parade loween parade on the Tuesday evening near-
in the world is the Greenwich Village parade est to October 31, a tradition which began in
in New York. This parade essentially started the late 1920s. ANOKA in Minnesota, which
when Ralph Lee, a puppeteer and theatre di- calls itself “the Halloween Capital of the
rector, gathered 150 friends in 1973 to cele- World,” hosts no less than three parades each
brate Halloween with a procession of giant Halloween season. See also CELEBRATIONS.
puppets (the giant articulated snake was to
become a perennial favorite). Within 10 years Parentalia— Roman holiday involving an-
the parade had gained worldwide renown cestor worship, held between February 13
and was attracting a half-million spectators and 20. Parentalia was a period for appeasing
and participants. The parade was trans- the dead (Placundis Manibus), and lasted
formed over those 10 years from a small, in- until February 21, when FERALIA was cele-
timate piece of street theater to a huge event; brated. During the days of Parentalia, all
also participating in the transformation was temples were closed, no fires were burned on
the GAY community, since the parade pro- altars, and no marriages were performed.
vided an opportunity for drag queens and Parshell (also parshal)— Irish cross made
gay designers to display their wares in an from twisting CORN husks or STRAW into a
open, festive atmosphere (although many of cross (in some instances the cross is begun
the gay activities took place not in the parade with two sticks, around which the straw is
itself but in the parallel Christopher Street woven). The parshell is placed over a doorway
promenade). In 1987 Ralph Lee resigned as on Halloween (on the inside), and will pro-
the parade’s organizer, but the parade con- tect the household from evil influences and
tinued under new leadership. It was broad- illness for one year. It must be replaced each
cast live for the first time in 2000, and still Halloween; the removal of the old parshell
draws over two million; it also pumps an es- must be accompanied by a shout of “Fon-
timated $60 million into the local economy. starenheehy!” Parshells are similar to Brid-
The parade spans approximately a full mile, get’s crosses, woven for St. Brigid’s Day.
includes nearly 60,000 costumed partici-
pants, and is credited as being America’s only Parties— Halloween parties are probably as
major night parade. The Greenwich Village old as the holiday itself. Accounts of
festivities also include PARTIES for charity, SAMHAIN in Celtic mythology describe THREE
theater events, food stands, etc. days of feasting, drinking and sporting
Key West in Florida has hosted the Hal- events. One of the earliest written mentions
loween parade “Fantasy Fest” since 1978. The of Halloween, from the 1493 Festivall, con-
festival starts 10 days prior to Halloween, and tains this description of what sounds like a
includes toga parties, celebrity lookalike con- contemporary Halloween party: “Good fren-
tests, and even a contest for costumed pets. des suche a daye ye shall haue all halowen
Justin Rudd’s “Haute Dog Howl’oween daye.” ROBERT BURNS’s famed 1785 poem
Parade” in Long Beach, California, bills it- “Hallowe’en” describes a Scottish party, in-
self as “the world’s largest Halloween pet cluding drinking, eating, FORTUNE-TELLING,
event.” Drawing around 700 costumed dogs gossiping, GAMES and carousing. A descrip-
and thousands of spectators, the parade tion of an Irish Halloween party from 1834
launched in 2000, includes a costume mentions that the front door was taken from
contest, a bulldog kissing booth, and a its hinges and set down on the bare earthen
“pumpkin drop,” and contributes thousands floor of the farmer’s house to serve as a dance
 149 Parties

floor, that divination with NUTS was prac-

ticed at the peat fire on the HEARTH, APPLES
were eaten, KALE stalks pulled, the LUGGIE
BOWLS brought out, and GHOST STORIES told
until sunrise. Possibly the earliest descrip-
tion of an American Halloween party may
be found in the November 1870 issue of
Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine: The arti-
cle “Hallowe’en,” by Helen Elliott, describes
a party thrown by the Barlowes, a British
family transplanted to the banks of the Ohio
River. The party is for children (specifically
girls), and begins by asking the children to
enter the house by stepping over a BROOM
that is placed across the doorway to keep
WITCHES out. Activities include pulling mo-
lasses candy, playing SNAPDRAGON, burning
nuts, pouring hot LEAD into water, and a for-
tune-telling game which sounds like a vari-
ation of the luggie bowls: Each girl was led
across the floor blind-folded to choose either
a basin of water (she’ll marry for love), a
goose wing (she’ll marry an old man), or a
pile of ASHES (she’ll die an old maid).
A typical boys’ party from 1916 is de- A ¡9¡6 illustration of a boys’ Halloween party.
scribed in the children’s book Hallowe’en at
paper hats, and a CAKE with tokens baked
Merryvale, by Alice Hale Burns: As the boys
into it is sliced and passed out. Finally, prizes
enter the house, they are each given a ghost
are given to the winners of the various
costume (a pillowcase for the head and
games.
sheets). The house is lit only by JACK-O’-
By 1932, Boy Scout troops and civil au-
LANTERNS, possibly decorated with cornstalks
thorities hosted large parties to lure boys
or even some store-bought decorations. AP-
away from PRANKING; these events included
PLES have been hung to swing from an over-
treasure hunts, HAUNTED HOUSES, and “TRAILS
head post, and each boy must try to take a
OF TERROR.” HOUSE-TO-HOUSE PARTIES— in
bite. There’s a game of taffy pulling (with
which NEIGHBORS joined to provide five or
greased fingers). A “witch” (a parent in cos-
six differently-themed party environments
tume) appears, and gives each boy a fortune
in each of their houses— were precursors to
written in “WITCHES’ INK”; after the witch
the modern TRICK OR TREAT.
leaves, the boys hold their fortunes over can-
Within the last three decades, Hal-
dle flames to read. Next, 10 CANDLES are lined
loween parties have begun to cater more to
up, and the boys vie to see who can blow out
adults than to children. Large-scale events at
the most with one breath. A pan of FLOUR is
ZOOS, malls, and other civic centers usually
brought out, and contestants must try to find
provide entertainment for kids, while adults
a buried dime using only their mouths. Then
attend private parties, nightclubs, or CELE-
they’re seated around a table where the cen-
BRATIONS held later in the evening.
terpiece is a “paper pie”— when the pie is
opened, it is revealed to be full of bug, frog Parting of the White Bread see Pierce’s
and mouse toys. Crackers are snapped for Charity.
Patrick, St. 150

Patrick, St.—Ireland’s most famous saint The 1580 edition of Five Hundred Points
(who gave his name to a holiday celebrating of Good Husbandry suggests planting peas at
Irish tradition) plays a small role in a few Halloween:
SAMHAIN tales. In one, Cailte, St. Patrick and “Green peason or hastings at Hallowtide sow,
others came to a pillar stone named Cloch- In hearty good soil he requireth to grow.”
nan-arm, or “the Stone of the Arms or
Weapons.” When St. Patrick asked how it Peat—In parts of Britain it was once thought
had acquired that name, Cailte informed him to be unwise to build a Halloween fire with
that the Fena of Erm (Celtic knights com- peat, since WITCHES could smell peat burn-
manded by FINN MACCUMAL) used to come ing from great distances (oak logs were used
to the stone every Samhaintide to sharpen instead).
their weapons. In another tale, when a min- Peat also figured in several FORTUNE-
strel appeared to St. Patrick on the day be- TELLING customs: On Halloween night, a
fore Samhain, the saint was put to sleep by young man or woman would go to a peat-
the minstrel’s powerful fairy MUSIC. stack and turn NINE divots; on turning the
ninth, a vision of the future spouse would
Peas—Several FORTUNE-TELLING customs in- appear briefly; a variant of this recommends
volve peas: In one, a handful of peas were that the fortune seeker take the kitchen
tossed in with green beans for the Halloween BROOM and ride it “in the manner of a witch
meal; finding a pea in a spoonful of beans three times round the peat stack” to cause
foretold either good luck or marriage during the apparition to appear. In another divina-
the coming year. A reversal of this custom tion, if a mouthful of the top sod of the house
from Northern England is called “SCADDING wall or a mouthful of the clod above the gate
THE PEAS”: A peapod is slit, a bean pushed in, lintel is taken into the house between one’s
and the opening closed again. The full pods teeth on Halloween, any HAIR that may be
are boiled, then shelled and distributed to found in it indicates the hair color of one’s fu-
guests with butter and salt. The one finding ture partner. A similar result may be achieved
the bean on his plate would be married first. by placing burning peat into WATER in which
In another custom (similar to a famous one’s feet have been washed overnight, then
one involving NUTS), two peas were named the peat is examined for any hairs.
for lovers and placed on a hot shovel. If a pea In one unusual Irish custom, on Hal-
jumped, that person would be unfaithful; if loween night THREE sods of peat were cut,
a pea burned or ignited, that person was truly and in the morning if there was any living
well loved. thing to be found on them it was a sign (a
John Gay describes another test in his flying insect was a bad man, a crawling insect
“Thursday, or the Spell,” from The Shepherd’s a quiet man).
Week:
Peltznickel see Belsnickling
As peascods once I plucked I chanced to
see Pierce’s Charity— A Shropshire tradition
One that was closely filled with three times practiced on ALL SAINTS DAY, also known as
three; “the parting of the white bread.” A Mr. Pierce
Which when I crop’d, I safely home con- had, in his will, set aside 20s yearly for the
vey’d, widows and widowers in Sweeney; 10s was
And o’er the door the spell in secret laid; — used to make the bread, which was distrib-
The latch moved up, when who should first
uted equally, and the remaining amount was
come in,
But in his proper person — Lubberkin. given out as money. The ritual was con-
ducted in a lane near the village, under the
(“Peascods” are peapods.) open air.
 151 Plough Day

Pirates— The classic image of the

pirate —frequently shown with tri-
cornered hat or bandana, eye-patch,
and earrings— has been one of the
most popular Halloween COSTUMES
from nearly the beginning of the
20th century. The pirate as Hal-
loween icon is stressed, for exam- 1937 catalog illustration showing pirate and witch dec-
ple, in a 1937 catalog of Halloween orations
paper decorations, which sells a set
of four face cutouts: A WITCH, a JACK-O’- Disneyland theme park ride). Caribbean’s pi-
LANTERN, a black CAT, and a pirate; and a 1965 rate hero Captain Jack Sparrow (played by
children’s book says that Halloween “is for Johnny Depp in the movie) became one of
funny masks and pirate hats…” Not only the most popular Halloween costumes of the
were pirate costumes and MASKS popular, but 2000s.
so were pirate-themed holiday PARTIES. In Pixies (also piskeys)— Variation of FAIRIES;
one example, a mid-century Halloween also known as “the little people” in Irish lore.
party booklet suggests that the house be Pixies are thought to live underground, and
dressed for a “ghost ship” on Halloween and become disturbed if the land above them is
that each guest be named for a famous buc- changed in any way. They’re active on Hal-
caneer. “Treasure hunt” GAMES— in which loween, along with leprechauns and WITCHES,
small prizes or objects were hidden around and are known for causing people to lose
the house — were popular Halloween party their way; the victim can escape by turning
entertainments, and naturally leant them- some item of clothing inside out. They are
selves to pirate themes. And the skull and shapeshifters, who may appear as animals or
crossbones— which had been the symbol of balls of light, and they may operate in groups
pirates since the 18th-century—naturally in- (dancing in circles). They tangle horses’
tersected with Halloween. manes at night, cause strange noises and op-
The popular cultural image of pirates erate like poltergeists. If given clothes, pixies
was first firmly established with the publica- may happily disappear, crying:
tion of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Trea-
sure Island and its pirate villain Long John Pixy fine, pixy gay,
Silver. Treasure Island was first published in Pixy now will run away.
a children’s magazine in 1881 (and in book In some beliefs, pixies are thought to be
form two years later), about the same time the souls of unhappy infants who died be-
that the celebration of Halloween in Amer- fore receiving baptism.
ica was moving into the middle class. The
Plays— Popular custom for schoolchildren
iconic pirate provided the template for a sim-
throughout the twentieth century. Hal-
ple homemade Halloween costume, and the
loween plays often feature WITCHES, PARTIES,
popularity of the pirate was continually fed
and mildly spooky situations. See also
by film and literature, ranging from the first
RECITATIONS , PAGEANTS, MONOLOGS, PAN-
theatrical performance of J. M. Barrie’s Peter
TOMIMES and EXERCISES.
Pan in 1904 (introducing Captain Hook), to
the Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn pi- Plough Day (sometimes Plough Monday)—
rate films of the 1920s and ‘30s (i.e., The The first Monday after Twelfth Day (January
Black Pirate and Captain Blood), to the run- 6); the day on which farm workers tradi-
away success of Disney’s 2003 Pirates of the tionally returned to work after the Christ-
Caribbean movie (based on the long-running mas break. A Plough Monday supper was
Pomona 152

often given by the farmer for his men, who combining of the Irish and Celtic SAMHAIN
would race to be the first back to work the and pagan Roman customs is unlikely (al-
following day. though the Roman festivals of FERALIA and
Workers also sometimes performed LEMURIA— both of which commemorated
MUMMING—“plough plays”— on this day. In the dead — may have had some influence on
one custom observed on the English Plough the Catholic observations of ALL SAINTS’ DAY
Day, ploughmen begged gifts house-to- and ALL SOULS’ DAY). The mistaken notion of
house, and threatened to damage the a festival dedicated to Pomona probably
grounds with their ploughs should they be began in the early 19th century: For exam-
denied (thus, they offered a “trick” if a “treat” ple, a magazine article from 1813 states: “The
was not forthcoming, causing some scholars 1st day of November seems to retain the cel-
to see Plough Day as a possible forerunner ebration of a festival to Pomona, when it is
of modern TRICK OR TREAT). supposed the summer stores are opened on
the approach of winter.” Later that century,
Poisoning see Halloween Sadism; X-Rays
the connection between Pomona and Hal-
Pomona (from the Latin pomum, meaning loween is firmly entrenched, as an 1883 arti-
fruit)— One of the biggest mysteries sur- cle “Some Roman Remains” from the
rounding the pre–Christian history of Hal- Charles Dickens-edited weekly magazine All
loween may be the influence of Roman fes- the Year Round states that “it would be per-
tivals. Many references cite a Roman festival haps going too far to say that the nut-burn-
dedicated to the goddess of the fruits, ing charms believed in by the peasantry of
Pomona; this festival was usually said to have the North of England and Scotland upon
been held on November 1, and celebrated Hallowe’en, are of Roman origin, yet we
with feasting on NUTS and APPLES. Yet in the
actual Roman calendar there is no festival
dedicated to Pomona, and little is known of
any rites surrounding this minor mytholog-
ical figure. The standard guide to Roman fes-
tivals, Ovid’s Fasti, only covers the first half
of the year; the volumes covering July
through December were probably left un-
written after Ovid’s exile by the emperor in
A .D. 8. In Phases in the Religion of Ancient
Rome, Cyril Bailey states that Pomona “never
had a festival in the old calendar,” while W.
Warde Fowler notes in The Roman Festivals
of the Period of the Republic, “Of all the
months in the Roman year November is the
least important from a religious point of
view. It was the month of ploughing and
sowing — not of holiday-time; then, as now,
it was a quiet month, and in the calendars,
with the exception of ludi plebeii, not a fes-
tival appears of any importance.” Fowler also
notes that the last major Harvest festival of
the year (the Romans had four) was Equus
Ad Nixas Fit in early October. In addition, “Pomona and Vertumnus” by Francesco Melzi
the Romans never conquered Ireland, so any (¡5¡7–20)
 153 Pooka

know that the festival of Pomona was held was propagated especially by poets. William
about the end of November…” Morris, in his poem entitled “Pomona,”
What is known of Pomona is that she refers to her as “the ancient apple-queen.” In
was the subject of one fairly well-known early Halloween books, Pomona is some-
mythological tale, told by Ovid as “Vertum- times mentioned as an influence on Hal-
nus and Pomona.” According to Ovid (and loween, but the history is vague; for example,
later, Bulfinch, in his classic mythology col- in her 1919 The Book of Hallowe’en, RUTH E.
lection), Pomona was a wood-nymph or KELLEY notes, “Not much is known of the
“hama-dryad” (a dryad dedicated to some ceremonies, but … much may be deduced.”
particular tree), who carried a pruning knife By the 1950s and 1960s, Pomona had become
in her right hand, and was sought by many nearly as influential to the holiday’s history
gods and deities (including Pan), but she as Samhain. For example, in her 1963 book on
turned them all down. Vertumnus was the Halloween, Lillie Patterson states that
god of the changing year, and sought to woo Pomona was one of the “greatest” of Roman
Pomona by changing into the forms of a holidays, and further suggests that “The Ro-
ploughman, a fisherman, a reaper, and mans took their holidays to Britain with
finally an old woman. In the last form he first them.” Although this may be, it is in fact un-
tried to convince Pomona of the virtues of likely that the Romans invading Britain
Vertumnus; but when she remained un- would have celebrated a minor nymph, and
moved, he told her the story of Anaxarete, the Halloween traditions of apples and nuts
who was so cold to her lover Iphis that he often ascribed to Pomona are likelier to be
hanged himself, and while she watched his Samhain or Celtic holdovers.
funeral train pass by she changed into a mar-
ble statue. Finally Vertumnus changed into Pooka (also puca)— An evil fairy or hob-
his proper form, and Pomona, moved by his goblin said to have spent Halloween night
story and his beauty, agreed to become his contaminating or destroying unharvested
wife. crops. This shape-changer was said to have
Pomona is referred to as a “fruit-spirit” favored the form of an ugly black horse, and
by some historians; she had a flamen (a ded- is sometimes described as being an animal
icated priest, the Pomonalis) and a sacred spirit whose name derives from poc, meaning
precinct, a Pomonal, 12 miles from Rome. “male goat.” In the story “Mac-na-Mi-
Sometimes she is said to have been feted dur- chomhairle,” the pooka is described as a
ing the Vertumnalias, a festival held August 13 steed that emerges each November Day from
in honor of Vertumnas. a hill in Leinster, and speaks to those it en-
In post-Roman Empire times, Pomona counters in a human voice; he would de-
has been celebrated by artists since Leonardo scribe events destined to occur during the
da Vinci painted her sometime prior to 1519 next year. One variety of pooka was the
(when he died). She has since been painted ei- augh-ishka (or each-uisge), or water-horse,
ther singly or with Vertumnus or other which emerged from the water and would
deities by Titian, Peter Paul Rubens, Nicolas make an exceptional HORSE if it could be
Poussin, Luca Giordano, Antoine Watteau, caught and kept away from the sight of
Anthony van Dyck, and Francesco Melzi. water; but if one caught sight of water, it
Also, Pomona is mentioned in Milton’s Par- would plunge in and tear its rider to pieces at
adise Lost (1667), further testimony to her the bottom.
popularity at the time. In the story “The Piper and the Puca,”
The misconception of Pomona as a god- a drunken piper is kidnapped by a pooka
dess worthy of a major festival seems to have with long horns who takes him to a feast of
originated in the nineteenth century, and FAIRIES , where the pooka is welcomed as
Popcorn 154

“Puca of November (na Samhna).” At the KINS, WITCHES, GOBLINS—although many also
feast (which is attended by hundreds of old showed the FORTUNE-TELLING methods that
women called cailleacha), the piper plays and were still popular at the time. Today these
is rewarded with immense riches; when he cards are highly prized COLLECTIBLES, none
returns home in the morning, however, the more so than those manufactured by John
gold coins have become worthless plant Winsch; Winsch cards featuring the artwork
leaves. of Samuel Schmucker are small masterpieces
The pooka supposedly came in various of art nouveau, combining enchanting
forms, sometimes as a donkey, a horse, or an women, Halloween symbols, and high qual-
eagle. If it was kindly spoken to, it would an- ity printing, often with gelatin finishes. An-
swer questions regarding the events of the other popular Winsch artist was Jason
coming year. Freixas, known for his sweet, Kewpie-doll
Pooka was probably derived from the like children. On the collector’s market, a
Welsh pwca, or goblin, and was sometimes single Winsch postcard can command up to
called simply puck (as in the mischievous $500.
spirit from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Possibly second only to Winsch was
Night’s Dream). Raphael Tuck. Tuck’s cards often carried the
slogan “art publisher to their Majesties The
Popcorn— Favorite American FOOD at Hal- King and Queen” (in 1866 he was granted the
loween, and also the basis for one FORTUNE- title by Queen Alexandra of Saxony), and
TELLING custom: Pop a dozen popcorn kernels
Tuck’s cards were so popular that just after
in a wire popper over an open flame; those the turn of the twentieth century there was an
eventually left unpopped indicate the num- entire club made up of Tuck card collectors.
ber of years left before marriage. Tuck’s artists included Francis Brundage, al-
Pope see Gregory I though the queen of postcard artists was
probably Ellen Clapsaddle. Born in New
Pope Day/Night see Guy Fawkes Day/ York State in 1856, Clapsaddle worked as a
Night portrait and landscape artist before finding
Pork Night— Late nineteenth-century work with the International Art Publishing
American name for GUY FAWKES DAY, when Company in New York, then Wolf Brothers
the original appellation of
Pope Day had lost its
meaning.
Postcards— From about
1900 to 1930 (when tele-
phones had become com-
monplace enough to re-
place letters and
postcards), sending Hal-
loween postcards was
nearly as popular as send-
ing Christmas cards is
today. Over 3,000 differ-
ent Halloween postcards
were produced, most de-
picting the holiday’s most Pumpkin-headed vegetable people flee a witch in this Raphael
popular symbols—PUMP- Tuck postcard.
 155 Pranking

in Germany. Clapsaddle often signed her such activities as clipping cabbage leaves to a
postcards, which feature beautiful children neighbor’s clothesline. Pranks in Ireland
or exquisitely rendered Halloween scenes; might also include FIREWORKS, especially
contemporary collectors will pay high prices “bangers” or rockets. Even though some Irish
for cards that feature Clapsaddle’s name and pranking seemed destructive (such as pour-
art. ing diesel oil on a potato field, or digging up
Dr. Bernhardt Wall’s postcard art was an entire field of cabbages), they might also
among the most colorful and sometimes sur- involve a sense of Robin Hood-style redis-
real, featuring grinning anthropomorphic tribution of goods, with pranks being played
vegetable people, and boys apparently on those thought to be most miserly and
trapped in JACK-O’-LANTERNS. Cards pro- greedy. Stolen cabbages might also be
duced by Gottschaulk, Dreyfuss and Davis thrown at the houses of those who were too
tended to feature Scottish motifs, with tartan poor to get them in any other way.
designs, Scottish emblems such as thistles, In Folklore of the Ulster People, Sheila St.
and Scottish sayings (mainly “AULD LANG Clair describes an amusing prank perpe-
SYNE”). trated by her father as a lad: On Halloween he
climbed up the chapel BELL rope and severed
Pranking— Pranking has long been one of all but the last few strands. The next morn-
the most common Halloween activities; in ing when the sexton tried to ring the bell, the
fact, pranking is usually thought to have rope fell to the floor, leaving him to summon
originated along with the belief that evil spir- his flock by cycling through the village ring-
its roamed the land on Halloween night ing a handbell borrowed from the school.
(since pranksters could engage in mischief Scottish Halloween pranksters devel-
and ascribe it to these spirits). Halloween oped several unique practices, including
pranking probably originated in Ireland, and BURNING THE REEKIE MEHR and sham window-
then crossed the Atlantic with the Irish who smashing, in which one prankster struck a
fled the Potato Famine in the mid–1840s. In window with his hand while the other
America, pranking figured prominently on smashed a bottle against the side of the
Halloween from the late nineteenth century house, creating the aural illusion of a win-
on, and is still found (albeit in a reduced dow being smashed.
form) today. Typical American pranks might include
In Ireland, where Hal-
loween is celebrated for several
weeks prior to October 31 by
RHYMING and collecting fuel
for BONFIRES, pranks were
often practiced on the night of
Halloween, after PARTIES
(which included such tradi-
tional activities as BOBBING FOR
APPLES and storytelling). In
older times, typical Irish
pranks might include clogging
a chimney with cloth or CAB-
BAGES, or shaving only half of a
goat’s beard; pranking is still
practiced today, but tends to be A ¡9¡6 postcard showing two boys carrying peashooters,
more benevolent, including engaged in pranking.
Pranking 156

hitching cows to a carriage instead of horses, Hallowe’en party plan in 1934 in an effort to
so that when the driver pulls out his whips, control pranking, or “rowdyism.” They suc-
the cows throw the carriage; disassembling cessfully reduced damage by Halloween
wagons and carriages and rebuilding them pranksters by two-thirds within two years.
on top of barn roofs; moving GATES, tie posts, Y.M.C.A., Y.W.C.A., Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,
ladders and small pieces of machinery about Campfire Girls and Volunteers of America
during the night; tying gates or even front were organizations that sponsored events to
doors shut; stealing welcome mats; throw- entertain 25,000 children on Halloween, and
ing dirt or FLOUR on porches; soaping win- approximately 6,000 private parties for chil-
dows; or the ever-popular outhouse-tipping. dren were held.
Throwing EGGS, a traditional activity, is still In 1933 and 1934, mobs of boys aged 10
so popular that egg orders are
doubled in many U.S. mar-
kets come Halloween time (in
fact some store owners refuse
to sell eggs to kids during this
time); one dangerous stunt
involved filling eggshells with
chemical hair remover, re-
sulting in children with bald
spots showing up on the first
day of November.
At the beginning of the
twentieth century, as urban
and suburban areas expanded
and the country became ever
more industrialized, Ameri-
can Halloween pranking
moved into cities and became
more destructive: Strings
were tied across sidewalks to
make passersby trip, windows
and lighting fixtures were
smashed, and small fires were
set. One Halloween, an or-
chestrated group of boys
broke into every car on a
street, taped the horns down
and then locked the doors. By
1925, cities like Chicago were
instituting large-scale plans to
thwart pranking; many cities
had success by enlisting the
pranksters themselves to pa-
trol with police on Halloween
night or fix up damages on
the following day. ¡937 chart showing facts about destructive pranking in Min-
Minneapolis instituted a neapolis
 157 Pranking

to their early twenties broke out in riots and ford these extras, we have tried to work out
destruction on Halloween in a number of a plan whereby the children will have a good
major American cities. Streets were barri- time but will not be deprived of some neces-
caded with debris and flooded by open fire sity later on because of it. Six mothers and
hydrants; automobiles were overturned; fathers have gone together for this party, each
buildings were torched or wrecked; and tele- furnishing an equal share.”
phone poles were sawed down. A 1933 report Boys 14 to 16 were encouraged to find
on Halloween in Minneapolis that year refers activities out of town, such as barn parties
to gangs of “hoodlums” and notes that “for or campfires. Although COSTUMES were en-
hours they roamed the city, overwhelming couraged, MASKS were not (for fear of caus-
the police by sheer force of numbers.” For ing “rowdyism”).
many American cities the “Black Hallowe’en” Other cities, such as Freehold, New Jer-
of 1933 was the most destructive night in sey, came up with novel events for children
their history. Determined to prevent another such as a town-wide window decorating con-
catastrophic Halloween from happening, test, in which merchants donated their dis-
cities like Minneapolis formed committees play windows on Halloween night and chil-
to deal with the problem. Within a year “boy dren were provided with poster paints and
trouble” police calls on Halloween dropped chalks, with prizes awarded to the best dis-
from an average of .31 per 1000 people to .17. plays.
An average of 372 streetlights had been re- Although most cities were able to dis-
placed in 1931–3, but in 1934 only 250 were courage pranking somewhat, by the 1940s—
replaced. One boy that year was held for trial during the World War II years, when the
on disorder charges as compared to 17 after country was already rationing many things—
“Black Hallowe’en.” Businesses donated pranking had come to be seen as not just
money to civic activities, and the Min- mildly destructive but downright unpatri-
neapolis PTA sent letters to all parents, sug- otic. In 1942, in fact, Chicago tried to abol-
gesting the following: ish Halloween just to control pranking.
Apparently unbeknownst to the
1. Conduct a party or other social affair in Chicago authorities, a far more effective way
your home and join with the young people
of controlling destructive Halloween prank-
in having a good time.
2. Assert parental authority to keep aimless ing had already appeared in some parts of the
children off the streets. country: TRICK OR TREAT. Although contem-
3. Entertain the family at theater parties. porary children are virtually unaware of the
4. Encourage the young people to attend genuine implied threat in this phrase, in its
community parties being held under respon- early days the ritual consisted of homeown-
sible leadership. ers inviting pranksters in and entertaining
5. Talk over the problems in your family cir- them with cider, DOUGHNUTS, POPCORN and
cle and ask for intelligent and sportsman-like other treats. The purchase of food was
cooperation. Suggest that we observe a Will
thought to be a bargain compared to the
Rogers kind of Hallowe’en — one in which
everybody has a good time and which hurts costs sometimes involved in post–Halloween
nobody. clean-up and repair.
Thus, by the 1950s, Halloween prank-
The problems of destructive Halloween ing had decreased in popularity; in some
pranking were further exacerbated by the se- areas pranking began to take place on a sep-
vere economic restraints imposed by the arate night, usually October 30, referred to as
Great Depression. One mother of five wrote: MISCHIEF NIGHT (or, mainly in Detroit,
“As so many parents are unemployed or DEVIL’S NIGHT, where it became known for
earning so little money that they cannot af- its widespread arson). There were still reports
Protestant Reformaton Day 158

of pranking, however; in 1972 one Hal- to some of the uglier Halloween incidents
loween prank include knocking out the over the last two decades. Halloween in New
power at a trailer court. It was also popular York City in 1989 resulted in 67 arrests for
in some rural areas to place or even throw assault. In 1989, one man was killed and nine
stuffed dummies into roads, creating a heart- injured when a group of costumed men
pounding hazard for drivers. In more urban stormed a homeless camp in New York while
areas, pranks involving manure in burning shouting “Trick or treat.” In 1990 a group of
bags placed on porches and strewing toilet costumed men raped a Boston woman. And
paper through trees (or “t.p.-ing”) continue in 1999 Brandon Ketsdever, 17, was shot to
to be practiced. death in Buena Park, California, while trying
One of the most unusual American to steal a plastic pumpkin from homeowner
Halloween customs involves an elaborate Pete Tavita Solomona (Solomona was even-
form of pranking in the village of Danbury, tually convicted of manslaughter).
New Hampshire: A tremendous pile of
junk — old cars, bathtubs, barrels, etc.— ap- Progressive Parties see House-to-House
pears in the center of the town common dur- Parties
ing the night. The townspeople have become Protestant Reformation Day—MARTIN
so accustomed to this odd practice that few LUTHER nailed his 95 theses to the door of the
attempts have been made to try to stop it; castle church in Wittenberg, Germany on
one lawman who did attempt to investigate October 31, 1517 (a day he chose because he
was burned in effigy. knew the church would be heavily visited
In “Halloween in America: Contempo- that day). This day is observed by all Protes-
rary Customs and Performances,” JACK SAN- tant denominations, and is also often marked
TINO says: “Traditional pranks … are play- by special services on the last Sunday of Oc-
ful, yet ‘practical’ reminders (as in ‘practical tober (or Reformation Sunday). This day
jokes’) of the winter that lies ahead.” He also may also explain why Halloween continued
draws a connection with ALL FOOLS’ DAY as to be celebrated within Protestant circles,
the two days of acceptable pranking, and where ALL SAINTS’ DAY was denounced as
notes that they lie on almost opposite ends Catholic or papist.
of the calendar.
Although pranking continues into the Psalm Caking— Variation of SOULING prac-
twenty-first century, the practice has also led ticed at Great Marton, Lancashire. In cele-
bration of ALL SOULS’ DAY,
young people went from house
to house and recited “psalms”
at each stop, receiving small
cakes in return — hence the
name “Psalm caking.” The
name may have been derived
from “sal-mass,” the name of
the service given on Novem-
ber 2nd.
Puca see Pooka
Pumpkin Patches—Pumpkin
patches are a popular form of
Two children enjoy a visit to a pumpkin patch (photograph HALLOWEEN ATTRACTION, and
circa ¡930) as such are considered “agri-
 159 Pumpkins

tainment” or “agri-tourism” along with CORN TUNE-TELLING practices. In an American div-

MAZES and HAYRIDES. Pumpkin patches may ination, the surface of a pumpkin was ran-
be simple seasonal roadside stands where domly carved with alphabet letters; fortune-
customers purchase pumpkins, or “PYO” seekers were then led blindfolded to the
(pick your own) pumpkin farms, which may pumpkin, where the letters they touched,
include other attractions and which offer poked with a pin, or pointed at foretold their
urban dwellers the chance to interact with true loves’ initials. Party games using pump-
rural farm life. As with corn mazes and kins might include guessing how many seeds
hayrides, pumpkin patches have become an were inside, or throwing an apple stem into
important source of revenue for many farm- an open pumpkin from a short distance
ers, with these seasonal attractions bringing away. Hosts of these same parties might feed
in $30-$40 million in revenues annually. their guests with roasted pumpkin seeds and
PUMPKIN PIE.
Pumpkin Pie— Once a popu-
lar dish at Halloween (as well
as THANKSGIVING). This 1932
recitation by Lenore K. Dolan
is called “Gifts”:
October gives us Hallowe’en
And Hallowe’en gives us fun;
If I had lots of Pumpkin pies
I’d gladly give you one.
Pumpkins— When carved
into JACK-O’-LANTERNS, pump-
kins are probably the single
most popular symbol of Hal-
loween. Part of the Cucur-
bitaceae family, which includes
squash, melons and cucum-
bers, pumpkins are native to
the Americas, and were a key
food in the diets of early na-
tives (several pumpkin dishes
are still found in Mexican
DAYS OF THE DEAD festivities).
Pumpkins range in size from
the “Baby Boo” to the “Atlantic
Giant,” which can reach over
1,000 pounds (the largest
pumpkin on record in 2009
was grown by Ohio teacher
Christy Harp and weighed
1,725 pounds). Pumpkins are
harvested in September and
October.
Pumpkins are important
in Halloween FOOD, GAMES,
CELEBRATIONS , and even FOR- Pumpkin patch at Forneris Farms, Mission Hills, California
Punkie Night 160

Pumpkin festivals are held all over the The town is said to be “ankle deep in orange
United States and Canada around Halloween mush” for some time.
time. Some, such as the Circleville Pumpkin As possibly the most popular symbol of
Show in Ohio, extant since 1903, emphasize Halloween for the last century, it is to be ex-
tradition; the New Hampshire Pumpkin Fes- pected that pumpkins figure prominently in
tival boasts sheer numbers (over 17,000 Halloween COLLECTIBLES, but it is curious
pumpkins featured); or at the Great Jack-o’- how many of these collectibles feature an-
lantern Festival in Vermont, art is the thing, thropomorphic characters (although other
with a team of about 10 artists carving some vegetables such as CORN and squash also
of the most unique pumpkins around (try a show up occasionally). There are literally
700-lb. recreation of the sinking of the Ti- hundreds of pumpkin-headed characters in
tanic). In Sycamore, Illinois, the week before CANDY containers, POSTCARDS, wall decora-
Halloween is celebrated with various pump- tions, table centerpieces, TOYS, CANDLES and
kin activities, including awards for the best more. In fact, there’s even one book almost
pumpkins, a pumpkin-pie contest, an eat- solely dedicated to these pumpkin-head col-
ing contest, and a pumpkin parade. lectibles (More Halloween Collectibles: An-
A few recent Halloween CELEBRATIONS thropomorphic Vegetables and Fruits of Hal-
have featured an event known as “pumpkin loween by PAMELA APKARIAN-R USSELL). In
hurling” (or “punkin chunkin”), in which “The Folk Assemblage of Autumn: Tradition
the idea is to design a contraption which can and Creativity in Halloween Folk Art,” JACK
hurl a pumpkin farther than anyone else’s. SANTINO notes that carved pumpkins usually
The record probably stands at 4,491 feet, or provide the heads for HARVEST figures (like
more than a half-mile. One such event in SCARECROWS) in most yard displays.
Wilmington, Delaware, drew an estimated In the delightful short story “The
45,000 spectators and raised $35,000 for Pumpkin Giant” from her 1892 collection
charity. Another strange event was held in The Pot of Gold, Mary Wilkins-Freeman sug-
New York in 1997: the World’s First Pumpkin gests the origin of pumpkins: When a young
Regatta, with three competitors each piloting man kills the evil “Pumpkin Giant,” the crea-
800-lb. pumpkins equipped with small boat ture falls to the ground in his potato field,
motors; the annual Windsor Pumpkin Re- and by next spring the field is covered with
gatta in Nova Scotia boasts an 800 meter vines and pumpkins. Although the king for-
course and has been held annually since 1999 gets to knight the hero for killing the giant,
(home decorating maven Martha Stewart at- one taste of “Giant’s head pies” earns the
tempted to enter the race in 2005, but was hero his knighthood.
delayed from entering Canada because of her
recent incarceration). And Delta, Pennsyl- Punkie Night— A Halloween-like celebra-
vania, is home to an underwater pumpkin- tion held at one village (Hinton St. George,
carving contest. in Great Britain). Punkie Night, celebrated
Teenagers in Springfield, Vermont, on the fourth Thursday in October, com-
have managed to combine a number of dif- memorates an event which supposedly oc-
ferent Halloween symbols and Halloween- curred over a century ago, when all the men
related activities—pumpkins, PRANKING, and in the village went to a fair at the neighbor-
gathering materials for a BONFIRE— into one ing borough of Chiselborough and didn’t re-
elaborate Halloween night prank: For weeks turn. Their wives went to the fields, where
before they collect pumpkins, then on Hal- they pulled and hollowed out mangolds (a
loween night they load them all into a pickup crop grown for cattle feed, also known as a
truck, drive the truck to the top of a hill over- foliage beet or a “mangel-wurzel”) and used
looking Main Street, and open the tailgate. the vegetables as lanterns to light their search
 161 Quarter Days

for their missing men. Nowadays, children fiery penance for their sins (those uncon-
celebrate the evening by carving their man- fessed at the time of death) in order to
golds (called “punkies”), and going from achieve entry into Heaven. In many Catholic
house-to-house singing traditional songs. areas (especially in Ireland), it was believed
Two children are crowned Punkie King and that the doors of Purgatory were opened to
Punkie Queen, and there are punkie deco- release the spirits on Halloween night to re-
rating contests. Punkie Night is also recorded turn to their homes (in some areas, for just
at Horton and at Lopen, where the date is one hour, while other areas held it to be
sometimes confused with November 5 (GUY forty-eight hours, including ALL SAINTS and
FAWKES DAY or BONFIRE NIGHT). The typical ALL SOULS DAYS). In a slight variant, souls
Punkie Night rhyme is: were said to be released from Purgatory for
It’s Punkie Night tonight
their journey to Heaven on this night, and
It’s Punkie Night tonight they might choose to pass by their homes.
Give us a candle, give us a light Since the Protestant faiths don’t include be-
It’s Punkie Night tonight. lief in Purgatory, returning souls on Hal-
loween night could only be evil spirits.
In another version, Adam and Eve are
mentioned, and in yet another version a
Purgatory Field—The site of one of the most
threat is made of a “fright” coming if no CAN-
unusual Halloween fire customs. The field is
DLE or light is given.
located near Gosmore, U.K., and on Hal-
Unlike American JACK-O’-LANTERNS, the
loween night there men once assembled in a
decorations on punkies don’t cut all the way
circle at MIDNIGHT, one burning a large fork
through the vegetable—the interior contents
of STRAW while the rest prayed for the souls
are scooped out and the flesh is peeled away
of departed friends. The dead were released
to allow the candle inside to glow through
on this one night from the pains of purga-
the punkie.
tory, but only so long as the straw continued
Purgatory—In the Catholic religion, Purga- to burn.
tory is an afterlife realm wherein souls do

Q
Quarter Days— In the Celtic tradition (and loween is no longer a quarter day. In Scot-
in modern NEO-PAGAN practices), Halloween land, MARTINMAS is a quarter day, celebrated
(or SAMHAIN) is one of the four quarter days, on November 11 (which, according to the old
or days which divide the year into four quar- Julian calendar, was November 1, or
ters, roughly corresponding to the seasons. Samhain).
In the Celtic calendar these day were Imbolc In some areas of Ireland, the quarter
(February 1), BELTANE (May 1), Lughnasad days were known as Great Days, and were
(August 1) and Samhain (November 1); each defined as Halloween, CHRISTMAS, Easter,
of these days was marked by a ceann féile, or and St. Patrick’s Day. Some Irish also cele-
major festival. However, in later calendars brated “Set Times” at Halloween, Easter, and
the quarter days more closely correspond to Christmas.
the solstices and equinoxes, so that Hal- One quarter-day SUPERSTITION involved
Rabbit’s Foot 162

changelings, or fairy children left in place of next quarter-day, and place the fairy child
kidnapped human children: One solution for there until next morning, at which time the
those who believed their child was not their parents returned to find their real child in
own was to dig a grave in the FIELDS at the the grave instead.

R
Rabbit’s Foot—Although the rabbit’s foot is Around the stack will walk your future in-
a well-known form of good luck, to be truly tended.
fortunate it must be a true rabbit’s foot (not In a slight variation of this custom, an
a hare’s foot) obtained from a white rabbit unmarried young person took a rake, went to
slain at MIDNIGHT in a GRAVEYARD on Hal- a rick and walked around it NINE times, say-
loween; it must also be the right hind foot. ing, “I rake this rick in the DEVIL’s name.” At
the ninth time, the WRAITH of the future
Radio see War of the Worlds
spouse would appear to take the rake.
Ragweed see Ben-Weed Another rake divination involved ASHES:
Rake the ashes in the HEARTH smooth, then
Rain— In one American belief, rain on Hal-
search them the next morning for tracks,
loween was thought to foretell good fortune,
from which it may be judged whether any-
and was even celebrated with this rhyme:
body in the household will die before the
Felicity for you! next Halloween.
Felicity for me!
For rain on Hallowe’en Ratches, Gabriel see Spectre Huntsman
Forebodes Prosperity!
Rattletrap (also horse fiddle or ratchet)—
Raisins— Raisins are a popular Halloween Probably the most popular type of Hal-
fruit, whether used in Halloween GAMES (in- loween NOISEMAKER, this TOY (which was
cluding SNAPDRAGON), or, more recently, as originally a homemade folk toy, and was later
giveaways for TRICK OR TREAT. In one game mass produced in both wood and tin, first in
called “The Raisin Race,” a raisin was threaded Germany then in the United States) consists
onto the middle of a string about a yard long, of a handle holding a star-shaped wheel; a
and two players then began chewing on oppo-
site ends of the string; whoever could reach
the raisin first would be the first to be married.
Rake— Several Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING
methods involve a rake. For example: The
fortune-seeker would go out to a haystack
on Halloween night with a rake, and walk
around the stack THREE times while raking
and reciting:
Round and round and round I go,
That my future husband I may know.
Tall or short let him be,
This Hallow E’en I must him see. Vintage rattletrap noisemaker
 163 Retailing

frame around the wheel holds a thin spring superstitious, and so ALL SAINTS’ DAY and
leaf, which strikes the wheel repeatedly as the ALL SOULS’ DAY celebrations were severely
frame is swung around the wheel, creating a affected. For example, in England both
delightfully horrible racket. Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I
abolished the ringing of BELLS at this time,
Recitation— A popular form of Halloween and the echoes of the Reformation finally led
entertainment for children practiced during to Parliament’s 1647 ban on all festivals except
the 1920s and 1930s. These are small rhyming GUY FAWKES DAY. Because of the date of the
performances for a solo performer, usually beginning of the Reformation, October 31
consisting of just one or a few short rhyming was also celebrated as PROTESTANT REFOR-
stanzas. An example is this recitation by MATION DAY.
Lenore K. Dolan (from Handy Helps for Hal-
loween) for a small boy, entitled “A Brave Remembrance Day— Held in U.K. on No-
Boy”: vember 11, in honor of those who died in war.
I’m not scared at Hallowe’en — November 11 is also the date of MARTINMAS
That is I’m not scared much; and OICHE SHEAN SHAMHAIN (“Old Hal-
I don’t believe in witches loween Eve”).
In ghosts or goblins or such.
The wind holds no terror Retailing—Halloween retailing on a national
For a stout heart like mine; scale probably began about 1900 with the B.
I do not fear the moaning made Shackman company of New York, an im-
By the swaying of the pine. port/export firm that may have been the first
Still I never venture forth to bring German Halloween decorations to
When Hallowe’en comes around; the United States. By 1909, when Dennison’s
I think it best to stay at home introduced the first of their famed BOGIE
Where I am safe and sound. BOOKS (which they began to revise annually
in 1912), the Dennison company had become
Red— Red is a color believed in some places
a leading retailer of Halloween goods, in-
to protect from evil spirits and WITCHES, so it
cluding decorations, costumes, and various
was worn on Halloween. ROWAN branches
paper goods. Another early manufacturer of
which still had their red berries attached were
paper goods, the Beistle company, joined the
thought to be very protective. See also COLORS.
Halloween market in the teens. Products
Reformation— Period of religious turmoil produced during this time (which also in-
which followed the Renaissance and resulted cluded cut-out decorations, paper lanterns,
in Western Christendom being split between candy containers, and party favors) are now
the Protestant and Catholic faiths. The Re- much sought-after COLLECTIBLES.
formation officially began on October 31, However, Halloween retailing didn’t
1517, when MARTIN LUTHER presented his 95 become big business until the 1990s, when
theses on indulgences (although there is no Halloween purchases began to lean more to-
date for the end of the Reformation, the ward adult items and home decorating. Al-
major changes it started took place for about though the reasons for this boom are difficult
the next century). In Britain, the Reforma- to trace, some retailers attribute the increased
tion took official hold with the passing of the adult interest over the last 20 years in Hal-
Act of Restraint of Appeals by Parliament in loween costuming to analogous increased in-
1533, followed by the Act of Supremacy in terest in such popular media fantasies as Star
1534, which gave ultimate power to the Wars, Star Trek and The Lord of the Rings.
monarch over the Church. Part of the Re- Because of this increase in adult interest, in
formation was to protest certain Catholic the mid–1990s companies began to rethink
Church practices which were believed to be their Halloween strategies, changing the no-
Retailing 164

tion of a “candy occasion” to a “season ex- started in 1983, had 63 retail outlets when
perience.” This meant that products such as they were acquired by Spencer Gifts in 1999,
orange and black Rice Krispies, similarly-col- and were up to more than 700 stores by 2009.
ored Oreo cookies, and contests for free trips The stores sell costumes, decorations, and
to Alcatraz (Barq’s root beer) flooded the other seasonal Halloween items only. The
market place; in the case of the Oreos, de- Spirit chain has even advocated for officially
mand increased production of the cookies by moving Halloween to the last Saturday in
50 percent. Coors made horror movie-show October, citing (among other things) a 30%
hostess Elvira its Halloween mascot, and sea- increase in sales when the holiday falls on a
sonal sales increased 10 percent. weekend.
The Halloween retailing boom has also By 1996 Halloween retailing was up to
produced companies and stores dedicated 2.5 billion yearly (by 2000, that figure had
solely to Halloween merchandise. The sea- become six billion, an amount that would be
sonal Spirit Halloween stores (which oper- repeated at the end of the decade), with the
ate only between Labor Day and Halloween) increase attributed largely to the spending of
nostalgic baby boomers (and a
surge in “family values”). Re-
tailers were happy, since Hal-
loween took up the slack time
traditionally experienced be-
tween “Back to School” and
CHRISTMAS. Halloween had re-
placed Easter to become the
second-biggest holiday for
home decorating (behind
Christmas), and was in the top
five sales days for beer, sur-
passing St. Patrick’s Day. It had
also become the nation’s third-
biggest party day, rivaling
Super Bowl Sunday and New
Year’s Eve. One out of three
adults typically attends a Hal-
loween PARTY, and more than
50 percent of American homes
decorate for the holiday.
Adults spend more than $200
on a COSTUME, and $50 for a
child’s outfit. In 2001, con-
sumers spent an average of
$45 per household on Hal-
loween items. The fastest-
growing segment of Hal-
loween retailing is home
decorating, which generated
close to a billion dollars in
This ¡953 ad for Old Gold cigarettes shows one of the more 2001. In a survey of where con-
politically incorrect uses of Halloween retailing. sumers purchased their Hal-
 165 Roads

loween goods, 57.1 percent responded with rhyme delivered door-to-door in exchange
discount department stores (as compared to for APPLES, NUTS or, most commonly, COINS.
70 percent of households with children), 27.8 Children typically don’t carry bags or con-
percent listed drug stores, 22.6 percent chose tainers, and they may be refused (especially
Halloween or party supply stores, and 20 per- if the house they visit has already been visited
cent listed fabric stores. that night by a number of children). The
According to a survey conducted by the children will usually ask “Anything for Hal-
International Mass Retail Association in loween?” or they may perform a more com-
1999, nearly 82 percent of Americans pur- plicated rhyme such as:
chased some item for Halloween. About 30
Halloween is coming and the geese are get-
percent bought costumes; 29 percent bought ting fat.
decorations; 14 percent bought party sup- Please put a penny in the old man’s hat.
plies and 13 percent bought cards. The top If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will
five items mentioned on respondents shop- do.
ping lists were, in order of importance, adult If you haven’t got a ha’penny, then God
costumes, CANDY, decorations, children’s cos- bless you,
tumes and books (which probably include And your old man, too!
horror fiction in addition to “how-to” books (The rhyme above has apparently adapted to
on celebrating the holiday). inflation, as some recent reports have re-
However, the economic downturn in placed “ha-penny”— a coin that no longer
the last few years of the 2000s also led to less exists— with “fiver,” meaning a five-pound
spending on Halloween. Consumers in 2009 note). In some parts of Ireland the word
were expected to spend an average of $56.31 “Christmas” is inserted in place of “Hal-
on the holiday, down from $66.54 in 2008. loween” in the above rhyme, and rhyming is
Young adults (in the 18 to 24 age range) were performed at CHRISTMAS, not Halloween.
most impacted by the recession — 2008’s av- Another popular Halloween rhyme
erage expenditure of $86.59 was expected to usually involved the lines:
drop to $68.56. Spending in all areas—cos-
tuming, candy, decorations, and even It’s money I want and I money I crave,
haunted house visits— were expected to de- If you don’t give me money, I’ll sweep you
cline. all to your graves.
Despite its high figures in decorating This rhyme often included a mention
and costume sales, Halloween still ranks of “Mr. Funny” or “Johnny Funny,” a char-
sixth in overall holiday retailing, mainly be- acter who was specifically designated to col-
cause — unlike holidays like Mother’s Day, lect money. Some participants have explained
Father’s Day, and of course Christmas— it that part of the importance of Halloween
doesn’t involve expensive gifts. rhyming was that it allowed them to save up
enough money to buy FIREWORKS for Hal-
Rhyming (also known as begging)— In Ire- loween night; and some have suggested that
land, Halloween rhyming is the closest the rhymers’ costuming was to emulate the
equivalent to the American custom of TRICK “wee folk,” or FAIRIES, who were thought to
OR TREAT. Rhyming starts several weeks prior
be active on that night.
to Halloween (September is considered too
early), and does not occur on the actual night Roads— In some areas, roads were to be
of Halloween. Probably descended from avoided on Halloween, because of the spirits
MUMMING traditions, rhyming involves a very and FAIRIES abroad on the night.
simple COSTUME (usually a trash bag or a par- In parts of Britain the following saying
ent’s oversized clothing), a MASK, and a was once popular:
Rosemary 166

Hallowe’en will come, will come, (speaking to no one on the way). At her bed-
Witchcraft will be set agoing, side she knelt, named one of the roses for
Fairies will be at full speed, herself and one for her lover, twined the
Running in every pass. stems together, and then (while gazing in-
Avoid the road, children, children.
tently at the rose designated for her lover)
Rome, Ancient see Feralia; Lemuria; she spoke the following:
Parentalia; Pomona Twine, twine, and intertwine
Rosemary—FORTUNE-TELLING dreams could Let my love be wholly mine.
be provoked on Halloween night by placing If his heart be kind and true,
Deeper grows his rose’s hue.
a sprig of rosemary and a silver sixpence be-
neath the pillow (a variant from Derbyshire If the color of the rose darkened, her lover
specified a crooked sixpence and rosemary); would remain faithful; but if it grew paler,
a young person could then be assured of see- her lover was untrue. See also FLOWERS.
ing his or her future spouse in DREAMS that
night. Rowan (also mountain ash, wittern, whitty,
wiggen, quicken and quickbeam)— Rowan
Roses— In one FORTUNE-TELLING method, a is a popular protection against FAIRIES,
young woman took two long-stemmed pink WITCHES and other evil spirits on Halloween,
roses to bed with her on Halloween night and may date back to Celtic lore. In “The
Wood of Dubhros,” one rowan tree puts out
berries that will grant unshakable health to
whomever eats them. They also grant the
feeling of the liveliness of wine and the sat-
isfaction of mead, that any old person of a
hundred years would be young again, and
that any young girl would grow into a beauty.
As a protective charm (used in Britain),
branches of the rowan tree (sometimes called
“witch posts” or “witch-wood”) were placed
over doors on Halloween; the best protection
is a branch with its RED berries still attached.
Another custom involves driving live-
stock between rowan branches (or through
a hoop of rowan) to protect them from evil
forces on Halloween. Highlanders of Strath-
spey used to force all their sheep and lambs
to pass through a hoop of rowan on ALL
SAINTS’ DAY and BELTANE, as a means of
warding off witches and fairies. A twig of
rowan might also be tied to the tails of cat-
tle with red THREAD to keep them safe from
witches, and there was even a Scottish Hal-
loween rhyme that ran:
“Rowan tree and red thread
To gar the witches dance their dead.”

A ¡909 postcard showing a classic Halloween In other words, rowan tree and red thread
fortune-telling custom using roses. could cause witches to dance until they died.
 167 St. Andrew’s Day

Rowan trees in GRAVEYARDS helped the ployed as magical protection: The rowan
dead to slumber peacefully. A witch who is must be cut on St. Helen’s Day with a house-
touched with rowan will instantly be dragged hold knife, and it must be cut from a tree
off to Hell by the DEVIL. A cross made of which the cutter has never seen before or
rowan was recommended for travelers out even known about. After cutting, it must be
on Halloween. carried home along a different path than the
In Forty Years in a Moorland Parish, J. one used to arrive at the rowan.
C. Atkinson describes a very particular
method used for acquiring rowan to be em- Russia see Festival of the Radunitsa

S
Sage— In one FORTUNE-TELLING custom, on A few similar divinations were also practiced
ALL SAINTS’ EVE a young woman must go on St. Faith’s Day (October 6).
alone into the garden at MIDNIGHT, and pluck John Keats wrote the lovely poem “The
a sage leaf for each toll of the clock, up to Eve of St. Agnes,” which includes this men-
NINE; then she will either see the face of her tion of St. Agnes’ Eve fortune-telling cus-
future husband or a COFFIN. The Welsh ver- toms:
sion says simply that the girl must go at mid- They told her how upon St. Agnes’ Eve,
night on Halloween to strip the leaves from Young virgins might have visions of de-
a branch of the sage bush, and she’ll see an light…
apparition of her future husband. If ceremonies due they did aright,
As, supperless to bed they must retire…
St. Agnes’ Eve— The night before St. Agnes’ The Armenians acknowledge St. Sarkis on
festival day, held January 21. Regarded as the this same date, and practice similar forms of
patron saint of young girls, St. Agnes has divining a future spouse.
been venerated as a virgin since the fourth
century, but early legends of her martyrdom St. Andrew’s Day—Christian day celebrated
vary and little is certain about either the date on November 30. This is the day of the mar-
or manner of her death (though it is often tyrdom of St. Andrew, and the only Apostle’s
given as A.D. January 21, 304) A second feast day said to be observed on such an anniver-
used to be kept in her honor on the octave sary. It’s a day for reunion of Scotsmen (who
day, January 28. Like Halloween, St. Agnes’ claim St. Andrew as their patron), but also
Eve was a time of divination for young un- includes many practices that are similar to
married girls in England and Scotland. FOR- those conducted on Halloween. In England,
TUNE-TELLING customs included DUMB CAKES,
evil spirits were once driven from houses
reading of DREAMS, HEMP SEED sowing, etc. with noise on this day. In Germany young
One popular divination involved sowing maidens practice Halloween-like FORTUNE-
TELLING to determine the nature of their fu-
grain while reciting a poem:
ture husband: They strip themselves naked,
Agnes sweet and Agnes fair, and recite a prayer to St. Andrew. In “Table-
Hither, hither, now repair; talk,” MARTIN LUTHER describes this prac-
Bonny Agnes, let me see tice, noting that the maids must strip them-
The lad [or lass] who is to marry me. selves naked and utter the prayer “Deus, Deus
St. Just Feast 168

meus, O Sancte Andrea, effice ut bonum pium of her husband, who has been at war for
acquiram virum; hodie mihi ostende qualis sit three years; but one of the novel’s characters
cui me in uxorem ducere debet” (“God, my mentions that, when the baron returned
God, O Saint Andrew, bring it about that I from the wars, the lady was found “clay-cold
may obtain a good affectionate husband; upon the grounsill ledge.”
show me today what manner of man it is that In the late 1920s this rhyme was occa-
shall lead me to the altar”). Another German sionally performed as a Halloween party
custom bears a striking resemblance to many game: An armchair was filled with blocks or
Halloween divinations: In a tub or basin of stones to make it uncomfortable, and a host-
pure WATER are floated little foil cups, each ess dressed as a witch stood beside the chair
inscribed with the names of those present. If to answer questions.
two cups move towards each other and
Salt— In one Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING
finally cling together, those two whose names
tradition, after eating a spoonful of salt a
are inscribed will be lovers. However, some
woman would walk BACKWARDS down the
cups are also marked as priests, and marriage
cellar stairs, carrying a CANDLE in one hand
can be expected only when two cups unite
(or a glass of WATER) and a MIRROR in the
with a priest’s.
other; at the bottom of the stairs, the mirror
St. Just Feast— The St. Just parish in Corn- would reveal the face of her future husband.
wall holds a yearly two-day celebration In some variations, the fortune-seeker was
(commemorating the dedication of the instructed to hold the salt in her mouth and
parish church) on the Sunday nearest to ALL repeat a chant, trying not to swallow the salt:
SAINTS’ DAY. The celebration begins on Sun- Looking glass, I hope to see
day with church services and a procession, The one who is my destiny!
and continues on Sunday with feasting, Ask him now to give a sign
drinking, and games. Young people would That some day he will be all mine.
often come into town from miles around on
On the Isle of Man, a girl took a mouth-
Saturday night, spend money on drink and
ful of water and two handfuls of salt, then
courting, and leave on Tuesday morning.
sat down at a door; the first name she heard
Festivities concluded with a street fair on
mentioned would be that of her future hus-
Monday evening.
band. In another curious test, women filled
St. Swithin’s Chair— In his 1814 historical their mouths with water, their right hands
novel Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since, SIR with salt, then ran around the block; those
WALTER SCOTT offers a song which tells of a who completed the circuit were assured that
curious legend involving “St. Swithin’s Chair,” the next name they heard would be that of
a “projecting peak of an impending crag,” lo- their future husband. An Irish tradition in-
cated in Scotland near Loch-Veolan. The first volved scattering salt in the four corners of a
few stanzas describe how “on Hallow-Mass room while reciting:
Eve the Night-Hag will ride” (the “Night- Salt, salt, I sow thee until eternity
Hag” mentioned here is probably an OWL), That in my first sleep I may see
and the song goes on to describe this charm: The boy that is ordained for me.
He that dare sit on St. Swithin’s Chair, A number of divinations center on eat-
When the Night-Hag wings the troubled air, ing salt at bedtime: Take three doses of salt
Questions three, when he speaks the spell,
two minutes apart, then go to bed back-
He may ask, and she must tell.
wards, lie on the right side, and do not move
The song is a fragment, but tells the tale of a until morning. This charm will cause DREAMS
lady who attempts the charm to learn the fate that foretell important events. More typical
 169 Samhain

was one that suggested eating a cake of and folklore. Vallancey believed that the Celts
FLOUR, suet and salt just before bed; this worshipped a deity called “Samhan” who “at
would invoke a dream of the future husband this season called the souls to judgment”;
coming to offer a drink of water. Vallancey also wrote that “Samman [sic] was
In South Uist and Eriskay (the Outer named BALSAB, or Dominus mortis, for Bal
Hebrides), a cake of common meal and a is lord, and Sab death.” Vallancey’s ideas
great deal of salt (called bonnach salainn) is were reiterated by the Rev. Thomas Dudley
eaten at Halloween to induce dreams that Fosbroke in his popular 1825 book Ency-
will reveal the future. After eating the cake, clopaedia of Antiquities (there has also been
no water may be drunk and no word uttered. conjecture that some early historians may
This ritual could also be performed by eating have confused the word “Samhain” with the
a salt HERRING (bones and all) in THREE bites; name “Samana,” an ancient Hindu deity).
in some versions, the girl must then walk However, most historians discredited Val-
backwards to bed. lancey almost immediately — the London
A particularly grim Manx divination Quarterly Review in 1818 stated that Vallancey
called for each member of a household to fill “wrote more nonsense than any man of his
a thimble with salt on Halloween night, and time.”
then empty it onto a plate before retiring. In In reality, there was probably no single
the morning, if any heap of salt had fallen, god worshipped on this day, and the CELTS
that person would die within the year. had no “god of the dead.” Likewise, after Val-
An American-Irish folklore custom lancey it was commonly stated that on this
suggests that salt rubbed into the hair on night “the lord of death gathered together all
Halloween will provide protection from the souls of all those who had died in the
FAIRIES. passing year and had been condemned to live
in the bodies of animals, to decree what
Samhain (variations: Saman, Samain, Sa- forms they should inhabit for the next twelve
monios, Samuin, Samhuin, Samhuinn, months” (from RUTH EDNA KELLEY’s The
Samhtheine, Sainfuin, La Samon, La Samhin, Book of Hallowe’en, 1919); but beyond Val-
Sham-in, Saimhain, Samhein, Oiche lancey’s suppositions there is no evidence to
Shamhna,Taman; also known as Nos Calan support this idea, either. Samhain translates
Gaeaf (Welsh); pronounced “sow-en”)—The as “summer’s end”; in Gaelic, Lá Samhna is
Celtic NEW YEAR’S festival (and the first day the name given to the first of November, and
of Gemred, or winter) and arguably the sin- samhradh is the name for summer. In Celtic
gle biggest influence on the contemporary tradition, Samhain was the greatest of four
celebration of Halloween. ceann féile, or chief festivals (or QUARTER
It is a popular misconception that DAYS) held by the Celts (the others were Im-
Samhain was the name of a Celtic god of the bolc — later St. Brigid’s Day — on February
dead worshipped on the evening of October 1, BELTANE or Beltene on May 1, and Lugh-
31; a 1934 Halloween book refers to Samhain nasad on August 1, when first fruits were cel-
as “patron of the field” (although the same ebrated). All Celtic festivals were associated
book later refers to “Saman, lord of death”); with either agriculture or livestock; Beltane
sometimes the word TAMAN is used instead to (when crops were planted and livestock put
refer to a Lord of Death. The “Lord of Death” out to pasture) and Samhain (when the live-
definition of Samhain began in the 18th-cen- stock were brought in for the winter) were
tury, as part of the work of Charles Vallancey. the main calendar points, and Imbolc (asso-
Vallancey was a British surveyor who spent ciated with the lactation of ewes) and Lugh-
nearly 40 years in Ireland and wrote exten- nasad (a midsummer celebration) marked
sively about the island’s language, history, three-month points in between.
Samhain 170

Surprisingly little is known of the ac- ogy as lasting for THREE days before and three
tual rites and activities of Samhain, since thedays after the actual day itself ) probably
Celts kept oral rather than written histories; began with bringing the livestock in from the
in fact, there is no indication that mainland fields for the winter; the hardiest were kept as
European Celts celebrated the day at all, and breeding stock, while the weakest were
it may have been a festival originally cele- slaughtered, partly to provide provisions for
brated only by the Irish Celts. What is the winter and partly because it was difficult
recorded about Samhain is found largely in to provide feed for animals in the winter
the vernacular literature of the Celts, which months. This tradition of slaughtering live-
was first recorded by monks and so is usu- stock at Samhain time carried on in many
ally thought to be somewhat colored by parts of Britain; for example, until the 1930s
Christian interpretation. most villages in the Wiltshire area had an
For the Celts, Samhain (the celebration official pig-killer who was always extremely
of which is mentioned in the Celtic mythol- busy at this season. The last of the HARVEST—
BARLEY, APPLES, OATS, wheat,
TURNIPS— was also brought in
at this time (the Celts may
have shared the later Irish be-
lief that any crops left out after
November 1 were rendered
inedible by malicious spirits or
FAIRIES).
The rest of Samhain was
devoted to a mix of political
and religious activities. A great
assembly of the five Irish
provinces was held at Tara (or
Teamhair, sometimes also
called Druim Cain, the beau-
tiful ridge; Liath Druim, the
grey ridge; and Druim na Des-
can, the ridge at the outlook).
Tara was the seat of the high
kings of first the crude Fir-
bolgs, then later the great
Tuatha de Danaan; the
Samhain festivities held there
included HORSE races, markets,
political discussion, feasting
and drinking (some folklorists
have stated that the Samhain
assembly may have lasted over
a fortnight, and was celebrated
only every three years). In one
Celtic myth the young hero
FINN MacCUMAL, goes at
Romantic nineteenth-century depiction of the type of rit- Samhain time to the assembly
ual the Druids might have practiced on Samhain. and encounters a law that
 171 Samhain

states that no one there may raise a quarrel or myth the goddess, an old hag by year’s end,
bring a grudge against another as long as the is revitalized by the union, becoming young
gathering goes on. Samhain feasts were often and beautiful again.
held on the shores of lakes (bodies of WATER As the border between two years, it was
such as wells, lakes and rivers were held in believed that Samhain was a night when the
great reverence by the Celts); for example, entrances to the Otherworld were open, and
THE DREAM OF ANGUS occurs on the shore of the spirits of the dead could roam free. The
Loch Bel Dracon. On the evening of Octo- dead were commemorated (there were also
ber 31 (since the Celts reckoned time by similar activities at Lughnasad), and it was
nights instead of days, their actual Samhain customary to put food out for spirits re-
may have been the evening of October 31), turning home. The dead, however, could also
all fires were extinguished, and then the be malicious tricksters, like non-human su-
DRUIDS, or priests, enacted a ritual in which pernatural entities, and so Samhain Eve was
a new fire was kindled on the hill of a night to stay indoors. The Celtic vision of
TLACHTGA (about 12 miles from Tara). Em- the afterlife was largely benevolent: One de-
bers from this fire were distributed to each scription of Annwn (the Otherworld) was
home (which paid a tax to the king in return) “Court of Intoxication,” since it was a place
to start their own fires anew. Historical tra- where heroes feasted and drank with beauti-
dition has it that debts were paid on this day ful women and sometimes fought; but it
and duties honored (a tradition which was could also be fraught with danger, since mor-
continued in the later celebration of MART- tals entering the realm of the Otherworld
INMAS); any who refused to do so might be might come across horrific monsters, and
excommunicated (a fate which also awaited were often condemned to stay, never aging,
any who had dealings with those already ex- until they tried to return to their own land,
communicated). where they died instantly.
Samhain’s most significant aspect, how- The Celts had a rich mythology, in
ever, was probably not political but spiritual. which Samhain figured prominently. It first
The Druids would have performed sacrifices appeared when the Tuatha de Danaan (or the
on this night, hoping to propitiate the gods Celts’ gods and goddesses) took Ireland from
into gifting their people with a mild winter; the Firbolgs; the Tuatha de Danaan were
sacrifices may have included human offer- then beset by the nightmarish Fomorians,
ings, perhaps even the infamous “wicker maimed monsters who each had only one leg
man” described by Roman historians— a or one arm and were led by an evil giant and
large man-shaped figure made from wicker, his mother. The Fomorians demanded a rit-
in which sacrificial animals and people were ual tribute each Samhain of two-thirds of the
caged and then burned (other accounts sug- Tuatha de Danaan’s CORN, milk, and chil-
gest that the Druids sacrificed black sheep on dren. The Tuatha de Danaan battled against
this night). The Celts, who often dug ritual the Fomorians, and although the monsters
pits, may have placed seed in such shafts or were largely defeated they still roamed the
pits on Samhain, to ensure fertility come Irish countryside, spoiling corn, milk, fruit
spring (when some of the seed was removed and fish. Finally one Samhain night the Mor-
for sowing and replaced with a second offer- rigan and Angus Og drove the last of the
ing). On this date the Dagda and the Morri- creatures from Ireland, and the Fomorians
gan (chief male and female deities) copulated returned to their kingdom from beyond the
to ensure crop and animal fertility for the sea.
coming year (one variant of this tale de- Some Samhain myths center on leg-
scribes the Morrigan as having one foot on ei- endary feats, such as Finn’s slaying of the
ther side of a river). In some versions of this murderous Aillen, or NERA leading an army
Samhanach 172

into the Otherworld on a quest for a great When the Julian calendar was replaced
crown; others involve meetings between by the Gregorian calendar in the mid-eigh-
mortal men and women of the sidhe (fairies). teenth century British Isles, it essentially cre-
In this latter vein is the tale of Fingin Mac ated two Samhain celebrations, with No-
Luchta, who is visited by a BANSHEE (fairy vember 11 henceforth being known as OÍCHE
woman) every Samhain who tells him all the SHEAN SHAMHAIN, or “Old Samhain Eve,”
precious things to be found in the royal and November 12 as Lá Shean Shamain, or
strongholds of Ireland, as well as prophecies “Old Samhain Day.” Most customs and be-
for the coming year. These meetings between liefs regarding Samhain and Halloween
mortal man and fairy woman are not always transferred to the “new” October 31 or No-
romantic, though: In the one story set at the vember 1, while in most areas November 11
CRUACHAN of Connaught, Cailte and Casco- came to be celebrated as Martinmas.
rach the Musician meet an old man who Although Samhain was largely incor-
turns out to be Bairnech, steward to the King porated into the Christian holidays of ALL
of Ireland. Bairnech tells them that every year SAINTS’ DAY and ALL SOULS’ DAY, it has been
at Samhain a woman comes out of the hill of celebrated from Celtic times under its orig-
the Sidhe of Cruachan and brings away NINE inal name in certain areas of Ireland. It is also
of the best cattle from every herd. Since it is celebrated as Samhain by some contempo-
Samhain night, Cascorach goes to the door rary WICCA, NEO-PAGAN and Neo-Druid
and kills the banshee with his spear. groups.
Another Samhain story emphasizes the
Samhanach— A Scottish name for the
involvement of Druids with the holiday: On
dreadful BOGIES that were abroad on Hal-
Samhain Eve Dathi, king of Ireland (from
lowe’en, stealing babies and committing
A.D. 405 to 428) was at Cnoc-nan-druad (“the
other monstrous crimes.
Druids’ Hill,” now Mallaroe); he ordered his
Druid to forecast the events of the coming Samhnag (also Samhnagan; Samh-nag; Sav-
year. The Druid went to the summit of the nag)— In the British Isles, Halloween CELE-
hill, spent the night there and returned at BRATIONS once included a special BONFIRE,
sunrise, only to address Dathi as King of Erin called the samhnag, at each household. At
(Ireland) and Alban (Scotland). He thus cor- Fortingall in Scotland, the samhnag was a
rectly predicted Dathi’s conquering expedi- communal effort and was built on the
tion to Alban, Britain and Gaul. mound called Carn nam Marbh, “The
Another tie between Druids and Mound of the Dead.” Local legend has it that
Samhain was the idea of fe-fiada, a spell that this mound contains the CORPSES of plague
some believed the Druids cast on fairies to victims, and a stone set atop the mound was
render them invisible throughout the year; called the Clach a’ Phlaigh, “the Plague
only on Samhain was this spell lifted. Stone.” Once the bonfire was lit, the entire
One of the most frightening (and one community joined hands and danced about
of the oldest) Samhain stories is found in the it; later, boys held leaping contests over the
Dinnsenchus in the Book of Leinster. It tells remains of the fire. The last samhnag was
of how King Tigernmas (who ruled Ireland built in Fortingall in 1924, and was suppos-
around 939 B.C.) and many of his people edly stopped because local groundskeepers
were destroyed by some mysterious force as were upset with the brush being stripped
they worshipped an idol (given as Cromm from the hillsides, leaving no cover for game.
Cruach) on Samhain Eve; they may have The samhnag was called COEL COETH in
been destroyed by vengeful Druids, who Wales. In the Highlands of Scotland, chil-
were angry that Tigernmas had turned away dren vied to see who could make the biggest
from them. samhnag. Samhnags were typically made of
 173 Scarecrows

ferns, PEAT and other fuels. Sometimes a cir- Other Festivals of Death and Life (this collec-
cle of stones was placed around the fire, and tion of works was edited by Santino and was
each stone was named one for a person in the the first academic book devoted to Hal-
family. When the fire burned out, families loween), and All Around the Year: Holidays
returned home to hold Halloween PARTIES. and Celebrations in American Life. In 1991 he
The next morning they returned to the re- received a Fullbright Research Grant to study
mains of the bonfire and examined the Halloween in Ireland for 11 months, and in
stones; if any were misplaced or if FOOTPRINTS 1998 he published The Hallowed Eve: Di-
were visible nearby, that person would not mensions of Culture in a Calendar Festival in
live out the year. Northern Ireland. Currently, Santino coordi-
nates an annual conference: Holidays, Rit-
Santino, Jack (1947– )—American folklorist ual, Festival, Celebration, and Public Display
whose body of work has significantly en- at Bowling Green State University and else-
hanced both the historical and sociological where.
understanding of Halloween over the last 20
years. Santino was born and raised in Boston Satan see Devil
and the surrounding New England areas, and Scadding the Peas— A Halloween FORTUNE-
always had both an appreciation for autumn TELLING game, in which a lone bean was
and an interest in myth and legend. While placed among many peapods. After the veg-
still working on his Ph.D. in folklore and etables were boiled and served, whoever got
folklife from the University of Pennsylvania, the bean among the PEAS was assured good
Santino was hired to work for the Smithson- luck.
ian Institution’s annual Festival of American
Folklife in Washington, DC. In 1983 he left Scarecrows— The popularity of scarecrows
Washington and accepted a faculty position as a Halloween symbol is something of an
in the Department of Popular Culture at anomaly, since scarecrows are not practical
Bowling Green State University, where he in late October, when crops have already
continues to teach. been harvested. However, their association
Santino’s professional interest in Hal- with HARVEST remains (in fact they’re often
loween began in the 1970s when he noticed an referred to simply as “harvest figures”), and
increase in adult participation in the holiday. they also offer the opportunity to use other
His first work on the subject, “Halloween in Halloween icons, since they often feature
America: Contemporary Customs and Per- JACK-O’-LANTERNS for heads (in fact the entire
formances” appeared in Western Folklore in figure — whose body may consist of an old
1983, and established his goal of showing that plaid shirt and jeans stuffed with leaves, and
contemporary culture (and Halloween) de- cornstalk arms— may be called “jack-o’-
served to be seriously studied. His 1986 arti- lantern”).
cle “The Folk Assemblage of Autumn: Tra- Perhaps the most popular tale of scare-
dition and Creativity in Halloween Folk Art” crows is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Feather-
discussed the increased interest in home dec- top”; even though the story itself is set in late
orating for Halloween, and coined the term May, it includes many Halloween elements
“folk assemblage.” He lectured publicly on and has been adapted to Halloween on sev-
the subject at the Library of Congress and eral occasions (including the children’s PAN-
produced a flyer on Halloween that is still in TOMIME “The Straw Phantom” by Dorothy
print and in use at the Archive of Folk Cul- Brewer Blackall). In the original story a
ture. His cover-feature article on Halloween skilled witch, Mother Rigby, wants to create
for Natural History magazine in 1983 led to a scarecrow for her cornfield, but she be-
the publication of two books: Halloween and comes so enamored of her PUMPKIN-headed
Schneider, Stuart 174

book to date on Halloween COSTUMES.

Schneider, who has written on a variety of
other collectible subjects including space
memorabilia and fluorescent minerals, also
runs a popular Halloween website, “The Hal-
loween Museum” (found at [Link]),
where he documents some of his work as a
“home haunter” and sells various vintage
Halloween pieces.
Scott, Sir Walter (1771–1832)—Prolific Scot-
tish novelist best known for Ivanhoe, Rob Roy
and the Waverley novels. Scott was also a col-
lector of regional folklore, and, along with
ROBERT BURNS (whom he met in 1786), is one
of the best sources of Scottish Halloween be-
liefs. Many of his novels (especially The
Monastery) refer to Halloween SUPERSTITIONS
and FORTUNE-TELLING customs, including
“ST. SWITHIN’S CHAIR.” In 1802 and 1803 he
published his three-volume collection Min-
strelsy of the Scottish Border, which included
such classic ballads as TAM LIN.

Contemporary Halloween scarecrow toy Sea—In coastal areas of Normandy, one Hal-
figure loween SUPERSTITION involves a ghostly sail-
ing vessel that appears on Halloween; the ves-
creation that she endows it with life and sel is one that was lost at sea the year before,
sends it off to town, to win the hand of fair and whose lost souls haven’t received enough
Polly Gookin. Her plan nearly succeeds until prayer to find rest. The ship moors at the
Feathertop catches a horrifying glimpse of dock, but vanishes by morning light. It is also
himself in a mirror, and races back to Mother believed to be bad luck to sail on this night;
Rigby, throwing away the magic pipe that those who are foolish enough to try fishing
gives him life and dooming himself to exis- on it might see their doppelganger or dupli-
tence as merely the witch’s scarecrow. cate aboard the ship, and risk drawing in
A common word for scarecrow in the human remains with their nets. In other parts
north of England is “bogle,” which is also of France, it is believed that corpses can be
sometimes used for BOGIES. seen in the hollows of the waves at this time.
In Wales, one belief is that at CHRIST-
Schneider, Stuart— Stuart Schneider is an MAS , Easter and Halloween all those who
American collector and author whose 1995 have drowned in the sea come up to ride over
book Halloween in America: A Collector’s the waves on white HORSES, and hold amaz-
Guide was the first book published on Hal- ing revels.
loween COLLECTIBLES; the book is now cred-
ited with tremendously increasing interest Second Sight— Most cultures believe that
in and the value of Halloween collectibles. some people possess the ability to sense
In 2001, Schneider published a second book GHOSTS or supernatural entities. This power
on Halloween, Halloween: Costumes and is sometimes called “second sight” (or clair-
Other Treats, which is the most extensive voyance). In some areas that celebrate Hal-
 175 Shoney

loween, those who possess second sight are However, probably the most common
said to easily see numerous spirits on both fortune telling method involving shirts—
Halloween and CHRISTMAS Eve. In Scotland, often referred to as “the wetting of the sark
a child born at SAMHAIN was said to be gifted sleeve”— involved dipping the sleeve of one’s
with an dà shealladh, “The Two Sights,” or shirt in WATER, then waiting to see if one’s
second sight; a child born on Christmas was beloved would appear to help dry the shirt.
believed to have the power to see spirits and
Shoes—Several Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING
to command them. Second sight was also
customs involve shoes. In one Scottish high-
known as taisch or taishitaraugh, and those
land divination, the fortune-seeker takes a
who possessed it were referred to as taibh-
shoe by the tip and throws it over the house,
sear. It was also believed that the seventh
then observes the direction in which the toe
child of the same sex born in succession
points as it lies on the ground on the other
would possess it. In America, some believe
side, for that indicates the direction in which
that those born on Halloween can recall and
the shoe hurler is destined to go soon. If the
interpret DREAMS.
shoe falls with the sole up, it is very unlucky.
In Folklore in America, Tristram P.
In a variation of this custom, the shoe need
Coffin and Hennig Cohen record an African-
be tossed over a shoulder only.
American who was born with a caul and be-
Another divination involving shoes on
lieved he could see ghosts on ALL SAINTS’ DAY
Halloween directs a young unmarried
(he also reportedly had the gift of prophecy).
woman to go up to her bedroom secretly,
In 1909, Thomas Ratcliffe reported this
take off her shoes and place them at right an-
from Derbyshire: “In respect of a woman
gles to each other, then recite:
who was born on Hallow E’en night, on the
stroke of MIDNIGHT, it was said that she I cross my shoes in the shape of a T,
would have certain knowledge of coming Hoping this night my true love to see.
events, especially those in connection with Not in his best or worst array,
But in the clothes of everyday.
her own family. Regularly, when birthnight
came round, she was perturbed and, as peo- If she looks over her right shoulder, she’ll see
ple who knew said, ‘the spirit was on her.’” her true love appear.
In his novel The Monastery, Sir Walter An anonymous 1923 rhyme runs:
Scott refers to a character, Mary Avenel, who
Turn your boots toward the street,
had second sight: “Being born on All-hal- Leave your garters on your feet,
lows’ Eve, she was supposed to be invested Put your stockings on your head —
with power over the invisible world.” You’ll dream of the one you’re going to
wed.
Shadow—One European SUPERSTITION holds
it is bad luck to glimpse your shadow by the In an American fortune-telling game,
light of the MOON on Halloween. each girl stood exactly NINE feet from a paper
black CAT, took off her left shoe, and hurled
Shirts— Shirts figure in several Halloween
it at the target. If she successfully knocked it
FORTUNE -TELLING customs involving at-
down, it foretold good luck for the coming
tempting to learn the name of one’s future
year.
spouse. One Norfolk custom is unusual since
Shoes also figure in at least one protec-
it centers on men: Men practicing this ritual
tive ritual: ASHES from a BONFIRE (kindled
sat in a circle around a pitchfork stood up-
with “need-fire,” or friction) are placed inside
right and on which was placed a clean white
the shoes as a charm against evil forces.
shirt; if their lovers were faithful, it was be-
lieved the women would enter in silence be- Shoney (or Shony)— A sea-god in ancient
fore MIDNIGHT and take away the shirt. Lewis (in Scotland), who was traditionally
Shrubbery 176

offered a cup of ale at Halloween by a man witches they were said to have ridden in
who waded into the evening sea and intoned, sieves and caused storms by tying human
“Shoney, I give you this cup of ale hoping body parts to CATS which were cast into the
that you will be so kind as to give us plenty sea).
of sea-ware [seaweed] for enriching our
Skeleton Day see Shuma Sashti
ground the ensuing year.” Afterwards, those
gathered returned to the church, had a short Skeletons— Skeletons and skulls are tradi-
period of silence, then adjourned for a night tional Halloween symbols. Their association
of wild revelry. There has been some sugges- with Halloween may stem partly from the
tion that “Shoney” is derived from SAMHAIN, Black Death which rampaged through Eu-
but there is no evidence to support this idea. rope from 1347 to 1351, claiming as much as
a quarter of the continent’s population; in
Shrove Tuesday see Mardi Gras
the wake of the Black Death, skeletons and
Shrubbery—An American FORTUNE-TELLING other death imagery were popularized largely
belief centers on pulling up a piece of shrub- through depictions of the “Danse Macabre,”
bery on Halloween night; if it is still green which showed human figures being led off
by MIDSUMMER’S EVE, it signifies a prosper- by skeletal depictions of Death. These im-
ous coming year. ages first began appearing in the fifteenth
century and were soon popular throughout
Shuma Sashti (“Skeleton Day”)— Name
Europe.
given to ALL SAINTS’ DAY by Native American
In Mexican DAYS OF THE DEAD celebra-
residents of Laguna, New Mexico. They cel-
tions, skeleton imagery — which includes
ebrated the day by taking food to the ceme-
sugar skulls and small skeleton figures—may
tery (the best PUMPKINS, melons and sheep),
have derived from the pre–Columbian Aztec
where CANDLES were set out on graves (see
DAYS OF THE DEAD for similar customs). Boys
would also beg for food, calling out,
“Sare’mo, sare’mo!”
They tell a story about a young man
told by his mother to bring in the two fattest
lambs for Shuma Sashti; after he objected,
he fell sick for two or three days, until a med-
icine-man restored him. On recovering, he
reported that he had been with the dead.
Sieve— Several Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING
customs involve sieves. In one, an odd num-
ber of keys are placed into a sieve, which is
then carried to the barn, where they must be
shaken tuaitheal, or with a lefthand turn; the
destined one will come and put the odd key
right. Another custom involved shaking
three silver COINS in a sieve before a MIRROR
at MIDNIGHT, in order to see the future
reflected in the mirror.
Sieves were also sometimes associated
with WITCHES, who might ride them instead
of BROOMS (when King James I of England’s This vintage Halloween bridge tally card uses
wedding plans were frustrated by sea-borne a skeleton to embody the holiday.
 177 Snapdragon

celebrations of MICCAILHUITONTLI and MIC- FORTUNE-TELLING GAME in which half a pint of

CAILHUITL. brandy or alcohol was poured into a dish and
Sketlets— Scottish Halloween ritual similar ignited; SALT was then thrown on the flames
to the American TRICK OR TREAT; children to add an eerie color to the fire (for that rea-
masquerade as spirits on the prowl for FOOD. son, the game was occasionally known sim-
ply as “the ghostly fire”). Next, NUTS, figs,
Sluath (sloo-ah)— Scottish word for the small fruits, RAISINS, etc. were thrown into
“Host of the Dead,” whose feet never touch the flames, and whoever could retrieve the
the earth, and who appear at dusk on Hal- most items (“a brand from the burning”)
loween, drifting on the WIND. The Sluath from the flames would meet his or her true
might be met at other times as well, and love within the year (an 1894 party book im-
would leave those who encountered them plies that snapdragon was a game played
bruised and soiled. mainly in the Southern part of the United
Snails— One of the more un-
usual Halloween methods of
FORTUNE -TELLING involves
placing a snail on a plate or in
the hearth ASHES on Hal-
loween, and leaving it there
overnight; in the morning the
initials of the future beloved
can be read in the resulting
slime trail. Sometimes it is
specifically mentioned that a
basin or dish must be placed
over the snail, to keep it from
crawling away.
Snap-Apple Night— English
name for Halloween, referring
1908 postcard depicting “Snap-Apple”
to a variation of BOBBING FOR
APPLES in which an APPLE is
hung on a string which is then
tied overhead, often on one
end of a stick with a CANDLE
attached to the opposite end.
Anyone who can successfully
bite the apple will have a happy
life (although a variant belief
is that whoever bites the apple
first will be first to wed). The
Scots occasionally replaced ap-
ples with treacle scones or
sweets smeared with jam, giv-
ing the game an extra element
of stickiness.
Snapdragon— Late nine- This antique engraving shows several Halloween games
teenth-century Halloween (including snap-apple).
Scotching Night 178

States, since “in many Southern families (Cheshire), a traditional MUMMING play is
there is a great bowl used for snapdragon or performed by “Soul-Cakers” each Hal-
the christening punch”). In a variation, loween, and for two weeks thereafter. A
printed fortunes were wrapped carefully in number of versions of these plays have been
tin foil and placed in the fire, so that players recorded, but they most commonly concern
might retrieve their own fortunes. One’s for- a fight (played out with real metal swords)
tune might also be told by the type of fruit between King George and the Black Prince.
that was snatched (i.e., a Mediterranean fig When King George fells the Black Prince, the
might indicate a future spouse from that area wounded man’s mother (played by a man)
of the world). Sometimes players first dipped wails for a “quack doctor”; the quack doctor
their fingers into a bowl of ice water, so that enters, and goes through a series of comic
any heat from the flames was lessened. mishaps trying to restore the injured prince.
In some variations of the performance,
Snotching Night— Welsh name for Hal- Beelzebub appears just before a “Wild Horse”
loween, derived from “snatching an apple,” (or hobby horse, sometimes referred to as
or playing snap-apple (in which an APPLE and “Old Hob”) enters (played by a man carry-
a lit CANDLE are suspended on opposite ends ing an actual horse skull, specially painted
of a stick hung from the ceiling, and contes- for the play), and a driver delivers a final
tants must try to bite the apple and not the speech while trying to control the horse (in
candle). some variants the horse has been badly
Snowbirds— Snowbirds seen in Ireland on maimed, and the driver asks money from the
Halloween were an early sign of winter’s ap- audience for the horse). Although some soul-
proach. caking plays ask for soul-cakes from the au-
dience, others include lines such as, “All that
Soul Cakes—Special CAKES and BREAD baked we are souling for is your ale and strong
for ALL SAINTS’ DAY and ALL SOULS’ DAY were beer.” These soul-caking plays are so beloved
popular in virtually all areas which cele- around the Cheshire area that one partici-
brated these days, but they may have been pant (Wilfred Isherwood) referred to soul-
most favored in Britain, where there were ing as “our religion.” Many of the items used
also rituals attendant upon receiving and dis- in the souling performances (which may also
tributing these cakes. include solo song performances before and
The origin of the custom may have been after the play) date back over a hundred
charitable — the cakes were probably first years. The horse skulls in particular are often
baked and given to the poor on All Souls’ very old, and must be carefully guarded from
Day, possibly in return for their services in rival souling “gangs,” who may try to destroy
saying prayers for the cake-givers’ deceased them. Children are sometimes very fright-
kin. An English book from 1511 called The ened by the soulers because of the horse
Festyvall contains the line, “We rede in olde skulls (see also BELSNICKLING, another mum-
tyme good people wolde on All halowen days ming custom that is very frightening to chil-
bake brade and dele it for all crysten soules.” dren).
Later, the poor begged money to buy the The souling mumming play is obviously
cakes, and the more they could buy, the luck- a variant of the traditional CHRISTMAS cus-
ier they would be. Soul-cakes were usually tom of the “hodening,” a mumming play
flat and round, and made from ingredients that was also performed house-to-house
including milk, eggs, and spices. The cakes with a horse’s skull (“hodening” is thought to
were also sometimes described as “seed be derived from the name of the Norse god
cakes” or “fruit cakes.” Odin, and the hodening play may have ori-
In the English village of Antrobus gins in the Norse practice of sacrificing a
 179 Souling

horse to Odin at the winter solstice). In both ported as early as the fourteenth century. The
the Christmas hodening and the November “soulers” visited house-to-house, sang a
souling, a demonic character called “the song, and collected food, drink or whatever
Hob” was sometimes in the cast. was offered to them; the practice originated
In Shropshire and other areas, it was to help redeem souls trapped in PURGATORY,
common to pile the boards high with soul but eventually lost much of its original in-
cakes on Halloween, and every visitor to the tent.
house was expected to take one. In Lan- Souling was traditionally performed on
cashire and Herefordshire, a customary All Souls’ Eve, rather than the day itself; in
greeting was: Cheshire, children often went souling on the
God have your Saul, morning and afternoon of All Souls’ Day,
Beens and all. begging fruit, cakes, and money, while older
people (often farm servants) went begging
The response to the greeting was the gift of a in the evening for beer or money. A typical
soul cake. version of the souling song runs:
In Staffordshire cakes were called Soul-
mass or simply “somas” cakes. In East York- Soul, soul for a souling cake
shire, bakers gave “saumas loaves” (small I pray you, missus, for a souling cake
square buns with currents on top, including Apple or pear, plum or cherry
Anything good to make us merry
one which was supposed to be kept in the Up with your kettles and down with your
house during the following year for good pans
luck) to their customers on November 2. One Give us an answer or we’ll be gone
woman in Whitby was said to have owned a Little Jack, Jack sat on his gate
soul-mass loaf that was about 100 years old. Crying for butter to butter his cake
In Lancashire, children begged house- One for St. Peter, two for St. Paul
to-house on All Saints’ Day, saying: “For Three for the man that made us all.
God’s sake, a so’ loaf.” They were then given
A simpler version is the line, “A Soule-cake,
small round cakes, containing a few seeds
a Soule-cake, have mercy on all Christen
and impressed with the “butter-print” (a
soules for a Soule-cake.” In Shropshire, they
small wooden stamp used in marking pats of
offered this song:
butter) of the farm.
In Aberdeen, Scotland, soul cakes— Here’s two or three hearty lads, standing
which were given away to visitors through- hard by,
out the day — were baked by each house and We are come a-souling, good nature to try,
were called “dirge-loaves.” We are come a-souling, as well doth appear,
And all that we soul for is ale and strong
Soul-Mass Day— Another name for ALL beer.
SOULS’ DAY (November 2). A soul-mass is a Go down to your cellar, and there you shall
mass for the soul of one deceased. Mirk’s Fes- find
tival from about 1450 mentions this name for Both ale, beer, and brandy and, best of all,
wine;
the day, noting “…aftyr All-halowday ys eu-
And when we have got it, O then you shall
ermor Sowlemasse-day.” Hiring-fairs called see,
Soul-mass hirings were sometimes held on And when we have drunk it, how merry
November 2, and “Soul-mass cake” or “Soul- we’ll be.
mass loaf ” was another name for SOUL CAKES. I pray, my good mistress, don’t tarry to spin,
Look for a jug to draw some drink in,
Souling (also a-souling)— Visiting custom And when you are drawing, don’t let your
commonly carried out in parts of England heart fail,
on ALL SAINTS’ DAY and ALL SOULS’ DAY, re- But draw us a jug of your bonny brown ale.
Souling 180

A variation of this song is sometimes per- panied by a hobby horse and practiced more
formed by the Antrobus (Cheshire) soulers traditional MUMMING (and may have also ac-
(see SOUL CAKES); the Cheshire souling rhyme companied themselves on such musical in-
usually adds lines blessing the “the master of struments as the concertina); in other locales,
this house, and the mistress also,” and some- the soulers blackened their faces.
times also asks for blessings on the children, Although souling was frequently de-
the livestock, the hired servants, and the scribed as being practiced by children, an ob-
property itself. server in South Staffordshire in 1857 de-
When begging for money, the song typ- scribed the soulers as old women dressed in
ically included these lines: gray or black cloaks and bonnets who re-
“The lanes are very dirty, peated these couplets:
My shoes are very thin; “Here we be a-standing round about your
I have a little pocket door,
To put a penny in.” We be come a-souling, an’ we bin very poor…
Remember the departed for holy Mary’s sake,
The music accompanying these lyrics
And of your charity, pray gi’ us a big soul-
was sometimes described as pre-Reforma- cake.”
tion church music, although in one instance
it was said to be so similar to a march by Souling customs may have faded from
Handel that some believed Handel had based areas like Shropshire as those districts be-
his music on the old folk tune. came more prosperous.
Soul-cakes were the usual item re- In Wales, souling evolved to become a
quested during souling, but in some areas tradition in which the poor went about beg-
the soulers asked for APPLES, with this varia- ging Bara Ran, or “dole-bread” on All Souls’
tion of the song: Day; this custom survived until the first half
of the nineteenth century. In modern
Soul, soul, a soul-cake;
Britain, the “cakin” or “kaking” song re-
Apple or pear, plum or cherry,
Any good thing to make us merry.
mains popular.
Up in your kettles, down in your pans Like mumming, GUISING, RHYMING and
Give us an answer and we’ll be gone. BELSNICKLING, souling may be one of the an-
Put your hand in your pocket, cestors of the contemporary American ritual
Pull out your keys, of TRICK OR TREAT.
Go down in the cellar,
And draw what you please. Sowens— A dish made of oatmeal; usually
Soul, soul, for an apple or two, served with milk, it is served with butter in-
If you have no apples, pears will do. stead as a traditional Scottish Halloween sup-
per. In ROBERT BURNS’s “Hallowe’en,” it caps
In Staffordshire, soulers began the ritual
the evening’s festivities:
by assembling in the parish church for a spe-
cial All Souls’ Day service; then, dressed in Till butter’d so’ns, wi’ fragrant lunt,
black and sometimes ringing small BELLS, Set a’ their gabs a-steerin;
Syne, wi’ a social glass o’ strunt,
they visited local homes, singing a version of
They parted aff careerin
the typical souling song which emphasized Fu’ blythe that night.
charity and included these lines:
(“Lunt” is steam or smoke; “strunt” is
So give us a cake, for charity’s sake, liquor)
And our blessing we’ll leave at your door.
An Irish variant of “sowans” is de-
In Monmouthshire, the soulers were scribed as potato cakes and BOXTY. In parts of
poor and were given “dole bread.” Scotland, sowens was also eaten at CHRISTMAS
In some areas, the soulers were accom- and HOGMANAY.
 181 Spirit Nights

Sows— Several Halloween traditions men- change for supernatural powers. Her suitor,
tion frightening “black sows.” For example, Lord William of Hapton Tower, is dismayed
some BONFIRE customs end with boys fleeing with her rejection of his proposals, and
the last of the fire while shouting out “the finally goes to see Mother Helston, a famous
cutty black sow take the hindmost.” This Lancashire witch. She tells him to go hunt-
proverb is from Cardiganshire: ing on the next All-Hallow’s Eve to win his
A cutty black sow bride. He does, and his dogs pursue a milk-
On every stile, white doe, which is actually Lady Sybil trans-
Spinning and carding formed. The hunt is unsuccessful until the
Every Allhallows’s Eve. dogs are joined by Mother Helston’s familiar,
(“Cutty” means short-tailed) a hound, and Lady Sybil is caught. They’re
In Welsh, the cutty black sow is called married shortly thereafter, but Lady Sybil
hwch du gwta, and is believed to be at large on continues her diabolical ways, and while
Halloween. The house-to-house ritual of once transformed into a white CAT her paw is
MUCK OLLA may also be based on a legend cut off by a miller. She soon thereafter be-
of a demonic sow or boar. gins to decline, and on her deathbed the
In Celtic myth, DREAMS on SAMHAIN priest manages to cancel her contract with
may be invoked by eating a heavy meal of the the devil; although Lady Sybil dies in peace,
flesh of a red pig. her ghost is said to still haunt Bernshaw
Tower, where on the Eve of All Hallows the
Spectre Huntsman— Known also as Herne hound and the white doe are joined by the
the Hunter and Gabriel Ratches, this spectre huntsman.
macabre figure is typical of British GHOSTS
and GOBLINS who were said to be especially Spiders— Although spiders are generally
active on Halloween. The Spectre Huntsman more feared in Western culture than CATS,
was an ungodly hunter who was condemned BATS or OWLS, they have very little associa-
to lead the chase till Judgment Day; his bale- tion with Halloween, and are seen only in a
ful hounds could be heard on Halloween. He few COLLECTIBLES and decorations (mainly
is also the subject of SIR WALTER SCOTT’s cobwebs applied to yard decorations and
poem “Wild Huntsman.” HAUNTED HOUSES).
In the West Country “the Wild Hunt” There are no SUPERSTITIONS or FORTUNE-
can be heard through West Coker, near TELLING customs employing spiders on Hal-
Taunton, on Halloween Night. Witnesses loween, but there is one Halloween party
have described black horses and 20 or 30 GAME, entitled “Web of Fate,” which uses a
black hounds. spider web, in the form of brightly-colored
In some areas these are actually thought strings strung up about a room and inter-
to be FAIRIES (compare to the host described woven. At a signal, each guest takes an end of
in TAM LIN). Alexander Montgomerie de- a string and begins winding it until meeting
scribes the “Scottish Fairy Rade”: with whomever holds the opposite end. The
In the hinder end of harvest, on allhallow- first lady and gentleman to finish will be the
even, first to be married; should two members of
Quhen our good neighboures doth ryd, if I the same sex meet, they are destined to be
reid rycht, bachelors or old maids forever.
…with mony elrich Incubus was rydand that
nycht.
Spirit Nights— A Welsh description of Hal-
One legend involving the spectre hunts- loween, MIDSUMMER’S EVE and May Eve.
man tells the fate of Lady Sybil of Bernshaw Halloween was the weirdest of the TEIR NOS
Tower, who sells her soul to the DEVIL in ex- YSBRYDION, or “Three Spirit Nights.”
Spooky World 182

Spooky World—Spooky World is

billed as “America’s Halloween
Theme Park.” Currently located
in Litchfield, New Hampshire,
Spooky World runs throughout
the month of October and draws
100,000 visitors annually. Started
by David Bertolino (who says he
loves Halloween for TRICK OR TREAT
and humor, not horror) in 1991 as
a haunted HAYRIDE, in 2004 Ber-
tolino sold Spooky World and
went into producing plays. After
moving several times, in 2010
Spooky World joined with haunted
attraction Nightmare New En-
gland at the current New Hamp-
shire location. Spooky World/ Chad Lundy as “Nosferatu” presides over Spooky World’s
Nightmare New England’s central “House of Fangs” (photo courtesy of Spooky World)
attractions are its seven elaborate
from potatoes, flour, sugar, caraway seeds
HAUNTED HOUSES, most recently including the
and cream.
“Raven’s Claw Cemetery,” “The 3D Freak
Show,” “House of Eternal Darkness,” “Sleep Stiles— Stiles could be places to fear on Hal-
Stalkers,” and “Torment.” Spooky World also loween: In Cardiganshire a BOGIE sits on
boasts restaurants, the Monster Midway, Zom- every stile on November Eve, and in Wales
bie Paintball, sports entertainment like go- the spirits of the deceased could be found on
karts, and special events (in 2002 Bobby every stile and at every CROSSROAD. The
“Boris” Pickett appeared live to perform his Welsh also had an adage about seeing “a cutty
Halloween classic “Monster Mash”); and black SOW on every stile” during Halloween.
celebrity appearances (past celebrities have
Stock—In Irish fairy lore, a stock is a kind of
included Alice Cooper, Elvira, wrestling stars,
changeling, a false fairy child substituted on
and even Jerry Springer). Each year Spooky
Halloween night for a real human child. A
World (which in the past also included mu-
stock would wither and soon die. At other
seums and a notorious live animal display in
times the human child would be replaced
which hundreds of live mice and rats ran over
with a fairy which might not even be a fairy
a live actor) is a destination point for haunted
child—it might be a tiny old man who never
house and Halloween aficionados from
grew older or changed. Parents who had been
around the globe; in fact one fan was so ded-
deceived might have a chance of getting their
icated she even went into labor while waiting
own child back on QUARTER DAYS.
in line to receive an autograph from an actor
IRON was one protection against fairies,
who had appeared in The Texas Chainsaw
and an iron piece was sometimes placed in
Massacre. Spooky World has also been fea-
infants’ cribs on Halloween night, to protect
tured in Playboy and on Jay Leno’s The Tonight
them from being taken and replaced by stocks.
Show (when performer Tiny Tim was mar-
ried on a Spooky World stage in 1996). Straw— In one Irish FORTUNE-TELLING cus-
tom, girls went to the CORN (OATS) stacks on
Stampy— Another traditional Irish Hal- Halloween night and pulled out a straw with
loween FOOD, stampy is a sweet cake made their teeth; if the top pickle was present, the
 183 Syncretism

future husband would be a young man; but BLACKBERRIES, CLOTHES, CORPSES, COWS, DEATH,
if missing, the husband would be a widower. DIGGING , EARRINGS , FAIRIES, FALLING STAR,
In another divination, a straw drawn GHOSTS, GRAVEYARDS, GUY FAWKES DAY/NIGHT,
from the thatch on Halloween was examined HORSES , LAUNDRY, MIDNIGHT , MOON, WALK-
in hopes of finding a HAIR, since the color ING, WATER, WEATHER, WHITE HARE, and WIND.
would indicate the hair color of one’s future
spouse. Syncretism—The Oxford English Dictionary
defines syncretism as “attempted union or
Strawboys —In parts of Ireland, the “Straw-
reconciliation of diverse or opposite tenets
boys” attacked the homes of families who
or practices, esp. in philosophy or religion”;
kept their daughters from the company of
however, syncretism has a long history as a
boys (although they sometimes also launched
controversial practice within the Catholic
offensives against persons whom they sim-
Church, a practice which attempted to meld
ply disliked for some reason); they also stole
existing pagan traditions with Christianity
food from kitchens, stuffed up chimneys,
and resulted in the contemporary holidays
unhinged GATES, etc. This PRANKING activity
of Halloween and DAYS OF THE DEAD.
was typically enacted on Halloween, St.
Pope GREGORY I was the first leader of
Brigid’s Day or MAY DAY, although Straw-
the Church to promote the practice of co-
boys might also appear at a wedding to de-
opting existing pagan holidays, temples, and
mand a final dance with the bride. Their
practices, in his letter of A.D. 601 to Mellitus.
name derives from the suits of white STRAW
Syncretism is probably what eventually led
they wore (their faces were usually blackened
the Catholic Church to establish the date of
or hidden beneath homemade masks). The
November 1st for ALL SAINTS’ DAY, thus re-
Strawboys, who were led by a Captain who
placing the Celtic holiday of SAMHAIN. Syn-
directed them, were always Catholic; Protes-
cretism also frequently resulted in an exist-
tants didn’t participate.
ing religion’s pantheon of gods being replaced
Sulphur— One British custom was to throw by the Catholic saints. Mary Andrade, in
sulphur onto a Halloween HEARTH in the be- writing about the history of Day of the Dead,
lief that the resulting smoke and blue fire has suggested (in regards to attempts to co-
would keep WITCHES from entering a house- opt the Mayan religion) that “Saint John re-
hold through the CHIMNEY. places Chac, the god of rain; Virgin Mary
takes the place of Ixchel, and so on.”
Summer Solstice— See also MIDSUMMER’S
Historians and anthropologists have
EVE. The Hopi Indians in America held a
also suggested that syncretism may have been
holiday for the dead on this day.
less successful when missionaries in South
Superstitions— Most holidays are rife with America attempted to replace indigenous
superstitions, and certainly Halloween is no peoples’ beliefs in and rituals surrounding
exception. Certain common superstitions, death. Celebrations like the Mayan XANTOLO
such as a black CAT indicating bad luck (or (which even specifies that the cross used in
good luck, in most of Europe) take on par- table decorations must be green, to represent
ticular meaning on Halloween. In most su- the ceiba tree, which was sacred to Mayan
perstitions specific to the holiday, the death beliefs) owe more to their pre-Columbian
of a family member is predicted; for example, predecessors than to All Saints’ Day/ALL
to hear CROWS near the house on Halloween SOULS’ DAY, and the skulls and depictions of
afternoon, or to do LAUNDRY on Halloween death which are prevalent in virtually all Day
(especially to wash a sheet, since it bears a of the Dead celebrations are unquestionably
resemblance to a funeral shroud) are both held over from the earlier religions’ “cult of
deadly omens. For more superstitions, see the dead.”
Tam Lin 184

T
Tam Lin— Popular Scottish Halloween bal- recorded from all over Scotland. The loca-
lad told in many forms, some plainly draw- tions and families named in the most popu-
ing on pagan sources while other versions in- lar version of the ballad all refer to real place
corporate such Christian iconography as the names and families; in fact, the region that
BIBLE and holy water. In its most primitive serves as the overall setting holds the home of
form, the ballad tells the story of Janet, the SIR WALTER SCOTT, who recorded a version
lovely young daughter of a lord, who goes to of “Tam Lin” (sometimes called “Tamlane”)
the forbidden area of Carterhaugh (a real lo- in his book Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border.
cation near Selkirk in Scotland), where she Not only have versions of “Tam Lin”
meets the handsome young Tam Lin. She re- been recorded by such modern groups as
turns to her father pregnant, and assures him Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span, but
that none of his knights is the father of her it has also served as the basis of contemporary
child. She goes back to Carterhaugh to ask fantasy fiction and, in its most curious
Tam Lin if he is fairy or mortal, and he tells retelling, as the basis of the 1971 film The Bal-
her that he is a noble mortal who fell from lad of Tam Lin (which is set in England in
his horse while hunting one day and was cap- the “swinging sixties”).
tured by the Queen of the FAIRIES. Tam Lin The story of “Tam Lin” is echoed in
tells her that every seven years the fairies pay Irish stories in which fairies steal family
a tribute to Hell, and he is afraid this year he members on Halloween, but other family
will be the sacrifice; then he adds: members lose courage when the fairies trans-
form the victims. Usually blood is found on
But the night is Halloween, lady, the ground the morning after, indicating that
The morn is Hallowday,
the fairies have killed the victim in revenge.
Then win me, win me, an ye will,
For weel I wat ye may.
Taman— Popular Irish and Celtic name
Just at the mirk and midnight hour
which is occasionally mistakenly used in
The fairy folk will ride,
And they that wad their true-love win, place of SAMHAIN. In the culture of the CELTS,
At Miles Cross they maun bide. a taman was a lower-rank fili, or poet, who
had committed ten stories to memory (the
Tam Lin then tells Janet how she will recog- highest rank, ollam, knew 350 stories), A
nize him, and warns her that the fairy folk popular 20th century belief was that Samhain
will not give him up so willingly: Once Janet was the name of a Celtic “Lord of Death,”
has him in her arms, he will be transformed and Taman is most frequently used to re-
into a newt, a snake, a bear, a lion, and last place Samhain in this respect, although it is
a burning coal (or brand of iron in some ver- also occasionally applied in reference to the
sions), at which point Janet must wrap him Celtic New Year’s celebration on November
in her green mantle and hurl him into a well. 1st. A few authors have even suggested that
Janet succeeds and Tam Lin is freed, but the Samhain was the Celts’ October 31st cele-
griefstricken Queen of the Fairies hurls a bration, while Taman was the feast cele-
final curse at Janet. brated on November 1st, but this seems to
The first time the ballad was recorded be nothing but an amalgamation of errors
was 1729, and many other versions have been and fact.
 185 Tea Leaves

Tansey Feast— An 1829 account of ALL figures are usually good omens, announcing
SAINTS’ DAY from Walkington, in the East love affairs and marriage. Circular figures
Riding of Yorkshire, notes that the church indicate money; if the circles are connected
there was dedicated to All Saints, and the an- by straight, unbroken lines, there will be
nual feast of dedication was called the delay but all will resolve itself. Squares fore-
“Tansey Feast.” Tansey may refer to a plant tell peace and happiness; oblong figures, fam-
which provides a bitter sap once used in ily discord; curved, twisted or angular ones
making puddings and cakes. are signs of stress and irritation. Letters sig-
nify the initials of a future spouse. Placement
Tattie Bogles— A Scottish Halloween cus-
in the cup is also to be considered; for ex-
tom, a tattie bogle is a potato SCARECROW.
ample, a clover shape indicates good luck,
Tea Leaves—This popular FORTUNE-TELLING coming sooner if nearer the top of the cup.
method was often used on Halloween. The An anchor, if at the bottom of the cup, de-
grounds of tea or coffee are poured into a notes success in business; if at the top, love
white cup and shaken about, so as to spread and fidelity; but if in a thick or cloudy part,
them over the surface. The cup is reversed to inconstancy. The serpent is always the sign
drain away the liquid, and then examination of an enemy, and if in the cloudy part gives
is made of what is left. Long, wavy lines de- warning that great prudence will be neces-
note vexations and losses; straight ones fore- sary to ward off misfortune. The COFFIN por-
tell peace, tranquility and long life. Human tends news of a death or long illness. The
dog, at the top of the cup, denotes true and
faithful friends; in the middle, that they are
not to be trusted; at the bottom, they are se-
cret enemies. The lily at the top foretells a
happy marriage, but at the bottom, anger. A
letter signifies news; if in the clear area, very
welcome news; surrounded by dots, a remit-
tance of money; but if hemmed in by clouds,
bad tidings and losses. A heart near it de-
notes a love letter. A single tree portends
restoration to health; a group of trees in the
clear, misfortunes which may be avoided;
several trees wide apart, promise that your
wishes will be accomplished; if encompassed
by dashes, it is a token that your future is in
its blossom, and only requires care to bring
to maturity; if surrounded by dots, riches.
Mountains signify either friends or enemies,
according to their situation. The sun, moon
and stars denote happiness and success. The
clouds, happiness or misfortune, depending
on whether they are bright or dark. Birds are
good omens, but quadrupeds, with the ex-
ception of the dog, foretell trouble and dif-
ficulties. Fish imply good news from across
water. A triangle portends an unexpected
Vintage Halloween postcard illustrating legacy; a single straight line, a journey. The
reading of tea leaves. figure of a man indicates a speedy visitor; if
Teanlay 186

the arm is outstretched, a present; when the Thanksgiving was originated by Gover-
figure is very distinct, it shows that the per- nor Bradford, the first governor of Massa-
son will have a dark complexion, and vice chusetts Colony, in gratitude for the plenti-
versa. A crown near a cross indicates a large ful harvest of 1621 (he first proclaimed the
fortune, resulting from death. Flowers are day on December 13). The colonists were
signs of joy, happiness and peaceful life. A joined by the local Native Americans, who
heart surrounded by dots signifies joy, occa- brought venison to the feast (which already
sioned by the receipt of money; with a ring included turkeys shot by the Pilgrims). Be-
near it, approaching marriage. ginning with 1684, the festival became a for-
There were even special china tea cups mal and annual one in Massachusetts.
produced expressly for the purpose of tea- Thanksgiving gained in popularity because of
leaf reading; called “The Cup of Knowledge,” the Puritan dislike of CHRISTMAS, which the
such a cup would have small symbols printed colonists considered to be “Popish mum-
around its interior. Today these cups are very mery”; but it was a Mrs. Sarah J. Hale who
prized by collectors. undertook writing letters to the governors of
all states suggesting that Thanksgiving be
Teanlay— Name for Halloween recorded in held on the last Thursday of November. By
the 19th century in the Lancashire area of En- 1859 the governors of all but two states had
gland. The name is related to teanlas, some- agreed with her.
times employed as a name for BONFIRES, and In late nineteenth-century New York,
was used by the same residents who lit there was a house-to-house begging ritual
bonfires in PURGATORY FIELD as a means of practiced at Thanksgiving that bears a strik-
helping to secure the release of departed ing resemblance to trick or treat. Children
loved ones from PURGATORY. (sometimes described as impoverished chil-
Teine Eigen— Word for Halloween BONFIRE. dren) donned COSTUMES and went house-to-
In Mull it was made by turning an oaken house, asking “anything for the poor” or
wheel over NINE oaken spindles, suggesting “anything for Thanksgiving,” and received
Druidic origins (since both oak and the NUTS, fruits, or other small foods. The cos-
number nine were highly prized among the tuming may have been a survival of GUY
CELTS and their DRUIDS). FAWKES DAY (which had largely died out in
the United States by the end of the eighteenth
Teir Nos Ysbrydron— The
“THREE Spirit Nights” in Wales;
Halloween was the weirdest
(the others were the eve of MAY
DAY and MIDSUMMER’S EVE).
Terrorism see Greysteel
Thanksgiving—American hol-
iday held the last Thursday in
November; Thanksgiving not
only shares a time of year (fall)
and certain foods (PUMPKIN PIE)
with Halloween, but one
Thanksgiving tradition may
have led directly to the beloved
Halloween ritual of TRICK OR Raphael Tuck postcard for Thanksgiving which strangely
TREAT. employs Halloween icons and colors.
 187 Ticktacks

century); the children dressed chiefly as three (Cuchulain has tri-colored hair and
clowns, Yankees, Irishmen, kings, washer- three faults— he is too brave, too young and
women and courtiers. The small beggars too handsome).
were assembled into companies with names Three and nine (along with 13) also
such as “Square Back Rangers,” “Slenderfoot figure prominently in American witch lore,
Army,” and “Original Hounds,” and pre- with three or nine often being the number
sented a parade through New York’s streets. of items required to create a protective
Although these groups had permits, they charm. Spells or FORTUNE-TELLING customs
were typically joined by thousands of cos- involving APPLE PARINGS, BARLEY, BRIAR
tumed and painted boys who had no such THORN, CANDLES, CHURCHES, CORN winnow-
permits. These “ragamuffin parades” were in ing, DREAMING STONES, EGGS, FEATHERS, HAIR,
practice as late as 1885, although individual HERRING, KNOTS, LUGGIE BOWLS, MIRRORS, the
incidents of Thanksgiving begging were MOON, NUTS, OATS, PEAT, RAKES, SALT, SIEVES,
recorded up until almost 1930. Curiously, WALNUT trees, WATER, WILLOW trees, and YARN
Thanksgiving begging practices seemed to all include rituals which must be performed
fade out at almost the same time that Hal- three times.
loween trick or treat was first being prac-
ticed, suggesting that the Halloween custom Three-Legged Stool see Crossroads
supplanted the earlier Thanksgiving practice.
Ticktacks— This traditional folk toy was a
Thread—In one Canadian FORTUNE-TELLING favorite NOISEMAKER at Halloween time,
custom, a thread is held over a lamp on Hal- when it was applied to the exteriors of win-
loween; the number that can be counted dows by boys engaged in PRANKING. The toy
slowly before the thread parts is the number consists primarily of a notched wooden spool
of years before the one who counts will attached to a wooden handle; a string was
marry. wound about the spool, then the toy was
In an American game, a couple at a Hal- placed against the window of an unsuspect-
loween party was given a length of thread to ing household. When the string was pulled,
pull with this rhyme: the ticktack created a terrifying cacophony,
but caused no actual damage to the glass.
Pull the thread, oh, man and maid,
To test the love between you; Apparently ticktacks were an endangered
If it break easy, love is weak; species by 1936; this excerpt (to be performed
If not, ‘tis strong, I ween you. by a boy with a ticktack) from the exercise
“Halloween Friends” by Lenore K. Dolan in-
Three— The number three has particular dicates that ticktacks were one more of the
significance in Halloween divination, as does Halloween pranks that authorities were anx-
the number NINE (being three times three). ious to stamp out:
Although the Christian religion has an asso-
ciation with three (the Holy Trinity), the use I carry a ticktack,
of the number three in many Halloween div- Which is out of date;
inations is probably a holdover from CELTIC Boys have more fun
beliefs. All odd numbers were significant in In other ways of late.
At Scout meeting or club
early Irish and Celtic customs, but the num-
New sports they learn;
ber three was especially important. Celtic So away from ticktacks
iconography features three-faced or three- They now have turned.
headed deities (the Morrigan was a triad of
war goddesses), triple-horned bulls, and even However, Helen Ramsey’s 1946 poem enti-
male figures with three phalli. Celtic heroes tled “Ticktack’s the Thing” suggests that tick-
such as CUCHULAIN were often linked with tacks had taken on more of a harmless mean-
Tindles 188

ing by then, and offers them as a compari- impressed with Patrick’s dedication to his
son to TRICK OR TREAT in this stanza: purpose that he allowed him to continue on
Folks come running to the window, his mission unhindered.
When they hear that zing! zing! zing! The lighting of Samhain fires on
Trick or treating isn’t in it. Tlachtga is similar to a Russian custom, in
Ticktack. That’s the thing. which villages near Moscow extinguished all
fires on the eve of the first of September
Tindles (also teanlas, tinley)— A Northern
(which was the Russian New Year from 1348
English tradition of building fires on hillsides
to 1700), and the following sunrise the fires
at Halloween, supposedly to symbolize the
were rekindled by wise men and women,
ascent to heaven of souls in PURGATORY. An
who chanted incantations and invocations
account from 1784 notes that these BONFIRES
while creating new fires. In many parts of
were lit “in the evening of the second of No-
Russia a funeral ceremony was performed by
vember,” by “boys and girls,” and the inten-
girls on this day: They made small COFFINS
tion was to “light souls out of purgatory.”
of TURNIPS and other vegetables, enclosed
Tlachtga (also Tlactga)— A place in Ireland flies or other insects and buried them with a
where some legends claim SAMHAIN fires were great show of mourning. Also, this first week
rekindled each year for all of Ireland. of September was when peasants predicted
Tlachtga was named for the daughter of Mog what the coming winter would be like, judg-
Roith; Tlachtga was a patroness of druid ing by the abundance of gossamer webs.
skills who came from the East with magical
Tobacco—The Irish might leave tobacco out
artifacts, then died giving birth to three sons
with food near the HEARTH for ghostly visitors
(each conceived by a different father).
on Halloween. In some counties snuff or a
Tlachtga is now known as the Hill of Ward
pipe of tobacco was laid on the grave itself.
near Athboy, County Meath.
According to some historians, on Toussaint— French name for ALL SAINTS’
Samhain Eve the DRUIDS assembled there for DAY. La Toussaint took place on November
the Festival of the Fire of Tlachtga. They 1st, and was followed by Le Jour des Morts
burnt sacrifices to the gods in the fires of (ALL SOULS DAY) on the 2nd. A 1916 article on
Tlachtga, and it was made obligatory (to dis- Toussaint calls it “the most impressive holi-
obey was a punishable offense) to extinguish day of the entire year” in France, and de-
all the fires of Ireland on that eve. The Irish scribes how “the streets are thronged with
people were allowed to kindle no fires of people, mostly in mourning, carrying
their own, but rather must re-start their fires wreaths of immortelles…” Written during
with embers from Tlachtga. The Tlachtga World War I, the article is accompanied by a
fires were started by teine-eigin, or “forced drawing of a grieving mother who tells her
fire” (sometimes also called “need-fire”)— child they can only mourn his dead soldier
the friction caused by rubbing two dry pieces father, slain on a distant battlefield, “on my
of wood rapidly together (some accounts heart.”
state that it must be pieces of sacred oak that
were used). For each new fire lighted from it Toys—As with any holiday that is celebrated
the King of Munster was to receive a tax of a in part by children, Halloween has its own
sgreball, or three pence. history of generating unique toys. Aside
In A.D. 433, St. Patrick challenged the from NOISEMAKERS— which were often as
Celtic king Laoghaire and his Druids by charmingly decorated and painted as any
lighting the paschal or Easter fires on top of toy—early Halloween toys included jack-in-
the hill of Slane against tradition and the the-boxes, jumping jacks, and pull-toys (the
king’s command; however, Laoghaire was so latter were usually cast in plastic and also
 189 Trick or Treat

tons could be used, ominous

sounds might be created by
fans or cowbells, and the
guideline might even be wired
to deliver a mild electric
shock. Sometimes the trail
ended in an AUTOPSY room,
where boys received a few last
chills before being ushered
into a party. The “Trail of Ter-
ror” was usually the climax of
a party, since it generated con-
siderable excitement and
might deter children from par-
Contemporary Halloween toys ticipating in quieter events.
Modern “Trails of Ter-
served as candy containers). Dolls in partic-
ror” are usually outdoor haunted attractions.
ular have long been popular at Halloween,
and include both commercially made figures Trena Samna— Irish for “the three days of
and FOLK ART creations. Commercially made SAMHAIN”; in a number of Celtic stories,
dolls have included specially-designed Hal- Samhain was said to last for three days (al-
loween Kewpie dolls, “troll” dolls, and Bar- though the length of the festival was also
bie dolls (Mattel has manufactured Hal- given as three days before and three days
loween Barbie dolls every year since 1997). after Samhain).
Over the last decade, as Halloween RETAIL-
ING has exploded, so has the availability of Trees— An old British saying for the Hal-
Halloween toys, which now include every- loween season ran: “Set trees at Allhallontide
thing from rubber balls containing jack-o’- and command them to prosper; set them
lantern heads to Halloween-themed “Smurf ” after Candlemas and entreat them to grow.”
toys; and TIM BURTON’s The Nightmare Before See also: ACORN; HAWTHORN; OSIER; ROWAN;
Christmas has produced literally hundreds WALNUT; WILLOWS
of Halloween toys and dolls. Early toys and
Trick or Treat —Favorite American Hal-
dolls (especially the whimsical plastic pull-
loween ritual in which costumed children
toys) are now valuable COLLECTIBLES.
move from house to house, using the phrase
Trails of Terror—An early forerunner of the “trick or treat” to beg CANDY or other small
popular contemporary Halloween HAUNTED gifts. Although trick or treat — which has
HOUSE, “Trails of Terror” reflected an era in come to refer to the overall practice — is
which houses were large enough to host an probably the single most popular and
indoor attraction, which typically wound beloved element of contemporary Halloween
through a basement or cellar. Usually a rope CELEBRATIONS, it is also a ritual whose origins
was hung overhead as a guideline through a are little known and often misunderstood.
series of darkly lit rooms, and crepe paper It bears some resemblance to other Hal-
and strips of fur were hung to brush against loween rituals of the past, including “SOUL-
guests’ faces as they made their way along. ING” (in which beggars celebrated ALL SOULS’
Costumed “creatures” might jump out sud- DAY by moving from house-to-house offer-
denly from around corners, and doors were ing up small prayers and carols in exchange
blockaded to create only one confined path. for food), “MUCK OLLA” (an Irish custom in
Phosphoric paint to simulate glowing skele- which groups demand tribute to “Muck
Trick or Treat 190

cient practice of dressing in costume to scare

off GOBLINS or the DEVIL (a service which
homeowners are apparently grateful enough
for to provide payment), but trick or treat
probably has far more practical origins. In
the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,
Halloween was still celebrated principally by
adults, who engaged in Halloween PARTIES
typically involving FORTUNE-TELLING, GAMES
and specific FOODS. Children and adoles-
cents, however, often engaged in their own
special Halloween activity: PRANKING. At first
confined mainly to rural farmhouses, by the
early twentieth century Halloween pranking
had spread to America’s cities, where it
evolved into something less innocent than
soaping windows or pushing over outhouses:
Street lamps were smashed, windows were
shattered, and fires were set. This destruc-
tive pranking reached a peak with the “Black
Hallowe’en” of 1933, when major U.S. cities
experienced unprecedented amounts of
costly mayhem. In response to “Black Hal-
lowe’en,” some cities created committees to
find outlets to channel this youthful Hal-
Vintage trick or treat bag loween zest; these committees were success-
ful in controlling pranking by offering care-
Olla,” a legendary boar), Scottish “SKETLETS,” fully organized events and suggestions to
COLUM KILL in Ireland, and RHYMING in homeowners. Note these lines from the 1936
Britain. Trick or treat also has similarities to EXERCISE “A Model Halloween” by Virginia
non–Halloween practices, such as begging “a R. Grundy (after descriptions of a Halloween
penny for the Guy” on GUY FAWKES DAY, party involving fortune-telling and games):
“MUMMING” (a costumed performance of-
fered in exchange for food or money), BEL- The kind of fun you offer us
Is better than the rowdy fuss
SNICKLING (a C HRISTMAS house-to-house
Some children make on Halloween,
masked begging ritual), or the late nine- While they indulge in mischief mean.
teenth- and early twentieth-century custom
of GUISING as a beggar and going house-to- Events included large-scale costume
house on THANKSGIVING. It is even tempting parties, TRAILS OF TERROR (an early form of
to trace it back to Celtic mythology, which the HAUNTED HOUSE), and HOUSE-TO-HOUSE
included tales of supernatural beings de- PARTIES, in which groups of children went
manding a tribute of food and drink on from one house to another in their neigh-
SAMHAIN (the Celtic precursor to Hal- borhoods, engaging in a different game or
loween); yet trick or treat is both uniquely treat at each house. Apparently urban
American and, in its true, present form, less dwellers had learned what rural farmers al-
than a century old. ready knew: The pranksters could be bought
Many parents are fond of telling their off with offerings of food and fun.
children that trick or treat stems from an an- Trick or treat’s use of COSTUMES may
 191 Trick or Treat

also have evolved from pranking. This 1930s for the goblins?,” and simply “Handout!”
RECITATION by Ada Clark entitled “My Wish” have also been recorded).
suggests the use of costuming in pranking Although trick or treat-like activities
activities: were reported as early as 1920, these begging
I wish that you folks could have seen
endeavors and house-to-house parties didn’t
Us boys and girls on Halloween, completely evolve into the contemporary
For, dressed as ghosts in purest white, trick or treat (which includes the actual
And horrid witches black as night, phrase “trick or treat”) until the 1950s, when
We all went strolling here and there the custom finally was spread throughout the
And laughed when people stopped to stare. country. Strangely, one of the earliest media
We carried jack-o’-lanterns gay mentions of “trick or treat” occurs in a 1927
That blinked at all who came our way. newspaper from Alberta, Canada. A small
Oh, yes, I wish you could have seen
story headlined “’Trick or Treat’ is Demand”
Us boys and girls on Halloween!
draws a direct line between pranking and
A 1921 report from Medford, Oregon, notes trick or treat (and makes no mention of cos-
that costuming and going house-to-house tumes): “Hallowe’en provided an opportu-
were activities limited to younger children nity for real strenuous fun. No real damage
(while older children were pranking): “The was done except to the temper of some who
younger element had great fun dressed as had to hunt for wagon wheels, gates, wagons,
spooks, goblins, or fairies, parading the barrels, etc., much of which decorated the
streets and every now and then
timidly sneaking upon a porch
and ringing a door bell, or
peering in windows with false
faces on. Many carried
lanterns made out of pump-
kins with grotesquely carved
faces.” It is also interesting to
speculate that the later popu-
larity of plastic and tin JACK-
O ’-LANTERNS as trick or treat
goody collectors may have
sprung from this earlier cus-
tom of frightening passersby
with glowing pumpkin faces.
In these begging rituals
that immediately preceded
true trick-or-treating, chil-
dren sometimes offered other
spoken solicitations. A 1920
magazine article quotes a
group of costumed youngsters
demanding “Nuts! Nuts! We
want nuts!,” while the phrase
“Eats or Soap” was recorded in
Des Moines, Iowa, as late as
1939 (the phrases “Anything A group of trick or treaters, circa ¡960 (photograph courtesy
for Hallowe’en?,” “Anything of Brett Thompson).
Trick or Treat 192

front street. The youthful tormentors were treat of choice (although treats have never
at back door and front demanding edible been confined to candy — toothbrushes,
plunder by the word ‘trick or treat’ to which coins, and popcorn have all been offered, and
the inmates gladly responded and sent the one 1959 record distributor even gave out 45
robbers away rejoicing.” A 1934 article from rpm singles he was overstocked on). By the
Portland, Oregon, suggests that trick or treat 1950s, when the country had settled into new
had already taken hold there: “Other young prosperity and comfort, Halloween and trick
goblins and ghosts, employing modern or treat had undergone some of the same
shakedown methods, successfully worked the commercialization as Christmas—costumes,
‘trick or treat’ system in all parts of the city.” for instance, were no longer handmade, but
A 1937 article discussing trick or treat men- sold in small boxes and often based on fa-
tions that some children have started to carry vorite characters from film and television
bags to hold all of their treats. Likewise, a (DEVILS, SKELETONS and WITCHES have always
1939 magazine article entitled “A Victim of been staples of the trick or treat costume,
the Window-Soaping Brigade?,” notes that reflecting Halloween’s origins as a com-
the treats were eaten on the premises. Au- memoration of the dead and its later Chris-
thor Doris Hudson Moss suggests inviting tian association with evil forces). Pillowcases
“Trick-or-Treaters” into the house for cider, were replaced by mass-produced trick or
DOUGHNUTS and other treats (although she treat bags and plastic jack-o’-lantern buckets,
also advises putting away the fine glass and and decorations were now made out of foil,
silver!); she also recommends telling the bakelite and plastic.
young guests “no trick,” and notes that only Perhaps most interesting of all the com-
some of her young guests were in costume. mercially-made Halloween items were the
Finally, she is also pleased to note that her NOISEMAKERS. These colorful (and loud!)
windows remain unsoaped and her house is ratchets, rattles, bells and horns became part
intact the next morning. Although Moss of the trick or treat ritual, with revelers using
refers to the “…age-old Halloween saluta- them to announce their arrival at each house.
tion of ‘Trick-or-Treat’,” by the 1940s the Although urban legend has it that noise-
phrase was still not in common use through- makers originated to drive away evil spirits,
out the country. Elizabeth Hough Sechrist’s again their actual usage and origin has more
popular 1948 book Heigh-Ho for Halloween to do with institutionalized pranking.
makes no mention of trick or treat, although Sociologists have suggested that trick or
it does discuss the problem of destructive treat’s enduring appeal lies in its inversion
pranking; on the other hand, 1946’s The Hal- of social norms: Halloween became the one
lowe’en Festival Book does mention trick or night of the year when children were in
treat (trick or treat would have been more power and adults were subordinate (note the
difficult during the years of World War II, decline of adult Halloween parties and cele-
when resources were lean and tensions high). brations from the 1930s to the 1970s). In this
Early trick or treat practices often included view, noisemakers took on special signifi-
trying to guess the youngsters’ true real cance as a sort of totem of the child’s power
names and inviting them into the house, but over the adult.
as communities grew and fewer suburban- A few sociologists have also seen trick
ites knew their neighbors, this practice sub- or treat as little more than training for future
sided in favor of the contemporary practice consumers in a capitalist culture. In his 1959
centered on the front door. Houses and article “Halloween and the Mass Child,”
apartments now customarily put out lit jack- Gregory P. Stone queried trick or treaters as
o’-lanterns and other decorations to indicate to what trick they would pull if denied their
their participation, and candy became the treat; most responded simply that they didn’t
 193 Trick or Treat

know, and the few who offered a suggestion ditional form (give or take a trip to the hos-
for a trick (“I’d probably go home and get pital x-raying unit); in 1999, 92 percent of
some sand or something and throw it on America’s children engaged in trick or treat-
your porch”) were obviously inexperienced in ing, and during the recent Halloween of
pranking. By 1959, the phrase “trick or treat” 2000, Americans spent $1.9 billion on candy.
itself had lost its original connotation, as a In fact, Halloween is now the number two
genuine threat of mischief. retail holiday, just behind CHRISTMAS.
The 1950s also added another new facet Haunted houses, the descendants of the
to trick or treating, when in 1950 a few chil- “Trails of Terror,” are more popular than
dren collected $17 during their trick or treat- ever, with many neighborhood houses now
ing which they donated to UNICEF. Al- offering trick or treaters a good-natured
though this practice continues today, thrill with their piece of candy. Trick or treat
parental concerns over trick or treating have has even spun off its own variants, including
caused a gradual decline in UNICEF’s Hal- a college campus practice of “trick or drink”
loween revenues. (in which dorm residents go from room to
In 1964, trick or treat was dealt a blow room demanding “trick or drink”). Churches
from which it has been slow to recover, when opposed to the celebration of Halloween
a New York housewife was arrested for pass- have sometimes offered “trunk or treat” par-
ing out poisonous ant-buttons to trick or ties, where children are offered treats from
treaters; by 1967 there were rumors of APPLES the trunks of cars parked in a church parking
with concealed razor blades being handed lot.
out as treats. Although these URBAN LEGENDS Trick or treat is an adaptable custom,
had virtually no basis in fact, they inaugu- and has always reflected the culture around
rated a new Halloween fear: that trick or it. Spacemen costumes, for example, were
treating children were in danger. Hospitals popular during the 1960s; the 1980s saw a re-
began to offer free Halloween X-RAYS of newed interest in movie characters, with the
goodies, and parents were urged to dispose of massive successes of the Star Wars films and
any unwrapped candies, for fear of poison the slasher movie cycle started in 1979 by
(although other urban legends circulated re- JOHN CARPENTER’s Halloween; and in the af-
garding candy being laced with LSD). Towns termath of the devastating terrorist attacks
began to enforce curfews on Halloween, and on America that occurred on September 11,
some banned trick or treating altogether. In 2001, firefighters and police were the cos-
the wake of this new panic, large-scale par- tumes of choice. And treats are no longer
ties reappeared to replace trick or treating; confined simply to candy: In 1987 a Cana-
children were also urged to trick or treat in dian man gave out stocks to his first hundred
shopping malls and ZOOS instead of neigh- trick or treaters (but he put an end to the
borhood streets. Some areas made stronger practice when the stocks took an abrupt
attempts to control the trick or treat custom; downturn).
for example, in 1993 an Ohio town set aside Outside of the United States, children
Saturday, October 23 from 1 to 3 P.M. as the have occasionally engaged in Halloween
official time for trick or treating. Given the masked begging with other verbal formulae
concurrent rise of Halloween PARADES and as well: In Nova Scotia, the practice started
costume balls, it might be said that adults had after World War I with this recitation:
decided to take the holiday back for them- Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys are marching,
selves. We are the witches at your door.
However, trick or treating was evidently If you will not let us in
too well-loved to die, and seems to be gain- We will bash your windows in
ing again in popularity, continuing in its tra- And you’ll never see us goblins any more.
Turing the Devil’s Stone 194

In Great Britain, children have a similar became so appalling that the practice was
(though not as popular and widespread) tra- continued the next year).
dition, in which they’ll beg “money for the
Turnips— In Ireland and Scotland, where
King, money for the Queen.” In Ireland,
the PUMPKIN is not a native plant, large
RHYMING is still popular.
turnips (or “swedes”) have often been uti-
In Saskatchewan, adults practice a form
lized to create JACK-O’-LANTERNS and other
of trick or treat which is very similar to Bel-
Halloween decorations. Some Irish Hal-
snickling: They dress up in costumes and go
loween celebrants have even mentioned
house-to-house (usually via car); at each
making a string handle to carry their carved-
house the residents try to guess their identi-
out, grinning turnip lanterns with them dur-
ties, and offer food and drink. This can con-
ing Halloween PRANKING (others attach it to
tinue all night until dawn, and, as with Bel-
a stick and carry it overhead). Unlike the
snickling, identity-guessing may continue
American jack-o’-lantern, the turnip lantern
long after Halloween has ended.
is not cut all the way through; rather, after
Turning the Devil’s Stone— Just outside the slicing off the top and scooping out most of
churchyard in Shebbear, Devon, lies a large the inside of the turnip, a design is carved
stone which was supposedly accidentally lightly in the face (this is also the practice in
dropped by the DEVIL, or possibly moved carving “punkies” on PUNKIE NIGHT). In
there to keep it from being used in the Scotland, at least one traditional GUISING
church foundation at nearby Henscott. Each rhyme centers on turnip lanterns:
year on the eve of November 5 (GUY FAWKES
NIGHT) at 8 P.M., the BELL-ringers sound their Hallowe’en a nicht o’ tine!
A can’le in a custock.
bells, then a crew of men use crowbars to
A howkit neep wi’ glowerin’ een
turn the stone over, since it would be un- To fleg baith witch and warlock
lucky not to do so (one year when they were
short of men—1940, during World War II— (“Howkit neep” refers to the turnip lantern;
the turning was neglected, and the war news to “fleg” is to frighten.)

U
UNICEF— UNICEF is an acronym for Halloween night, and with the $17 collected
United Nations International Children’s that year the popular “Trick or Treat for
Emergency Fund. UNICEF was created by UNICEF” fund-raiser was born. This chari-
the United Nations General Assembly in table practice continued to grow until 1967,
1946 to help children after World War II in when President Lyndon B. Johnson named
Europe, and in 1953 it became a permanent October 31, 1967 as National UNICEF Day.
part of the United Nations system, with the By 2001, the program had raised more than
ongoing goal of helping impoverished chil- $105 million, and in the 2002 campaign Mc-
dren in developing countries. In 1950 an Donald’s U.S. restaurants distributed 20 mil-
American volunteer couple, the Reverend lion of the traditional orange “Trick or Treat
Clyde Allison and his wife Mary Emma, con- for UNICEF” collection boxes in October,
vinced a few neighborhood children to col- more than doubling the previous reach of the
lect money for UNICEF instead of candy on program. In 2004, the program expanded to
 195 Urban Legends

include online fundraising forms, and in cases during this time), when Best and Ho-
2005 a record was set when U.S. kids raised riuchi suggest that a combination of grow-
$18.25 million, much of which went to help ing threats to children (including drug use),
the Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane fear of crime, and increasing mistrust of oth-
Katrina disaster victims. In 2010, Trick or ers combined to fuel the Halloween sadism
Treat for UNICEF celebrated its 60th an- rumors. As an urban legend, that of the
niversary. anonymous Halloween psycho hiding razor
blades in APPLES or poisoning TRICK OR TREAT
United Nations see UNICEF candy combines two popular themes, those
Urabon see Bon Festival of danger to children and contaminated
food.
Urban Legends— Urban legends are mod- Poisoned CANDY took a new twist in
ern, orally-transmitted tales. As a holiday 2001, when Halloween occurred not only
which serves in part as a commemoration of after the terrorist attacks of September 11,
the dead, it is certainly no surprise that Hal- but also after several people died of anthrax
loween in the late twentieth- and early poisoning by terrorists. Again, although fears
twenty-first centuries had its share of urban were heightened, there were no genuine
legends. By far the most celebrated, of anonymous cases of Halloween sadism
course, is the poisoned candy or razor-blade- recorded.
hiding-in-the-apple tale. This may have Another popular 2001 legend inspired
started with a case in 1964, in which house- by the 9/11 terrorist attacks circulated largely
wife Helen Pfeil gave packages containing via e-mail and reported that “my friend’s
dog biscuits, steel wool and arsenic-laced friend was dating a guy from Afghanistan”
ant-poison buttons to teens she thought were until September 6, at which point he disap-
too old to be trick or treating; the razor blade peared. On September 10, she received a let-
motif surfaced in 1967. In their oft-quoted ter from her boyfriend begging her not to get
study “The Razor Blade in the Apple: The on any commercial airlines on 9/11, and not
Social Construction of Urban Legends” to go to any malls on Halloween. After the
(1985), Joel Best and Gerald T. Horiuchi ex- events of 9/11, the friend’s friend supposedly
amine 76 cases of “Halloween sadism” which turned the letter over to the FBI; on Octo-
occurred between 1959 and 1984, and came ber 11, the FBI did its best to debunk the
up with startling facts: Of those 76 cases rumor, affirming that the letter described
(which covered 15 American states and two therein was nonexistent.
Canadian provinces), only 20 reported in- Another popular Halloween urban leg-
juries (the most serious of which required 11 end began in 1968. That year a rumor circu-
stitches), and only two deaths resulted. In lated on college campuses that popular psy-
1970, five-year-old Kevin Toston died after chic Jeane Dixon had predicted (on a radio
swallowing heroin, but police traced the drug show) a maniac stalking a college campus on
to a stash in his uncle’s house, not Halloween Halloween. This legend popped up again in
candy; in 1974, eight-year-old Timothy 1979 (the Midwest), 1983 (nationwide), 1986
Mark O’Bryan died of cyanide poisoning (Central Pennsylvania), 1991 (New England)
after eating Halloween candy, but police later and 1998 (mainly Michigan); this time the
determined his own father had tampered psychic had appeared on a television talk
with the candy. The trend peaked twice, in show (usually given as The Oprah Winfrey
1982, when Halloween took place a month Show) and predicted that, on Halloween, a
after seven people died from swallowing poi- knife-wielding madman (in some versions
soned Tylenol pills; and the first time in the of this legend the psycho was described as
period covering 1969–1971 (there were 31 being costumed as Little Bo Peep) would
Victorians 196

carve up a dormitory or fraternity. With each encouraged to trick or treat at indoor malls
new cycle, details are added to indicate and ZOOS instead of on the streets. In his
specific locales—for example, students at essay “‘Safe Spooks’: New Halloween Tradi-
Florida State University claimed that the psy- tions in Response to Sadism Legends,” Bill
chic had indicated that the killer would stalk Ellis suggests that “traditional images of
a U-shaped building on a campus located ghosts and witches are simply augmented by
near a graveyard (which FSU is). When the images of contemporary fears.”
story arose in 1991, it spread through a num- More fanciful but perennially popular
ber of East Coast colleges and sometimes is the story of the HAUNTED HOUSE that’s so
cited Nostradamus as the source, noting that frightening it either offers patrons refunds
the murders would occur in a year with an for surviving, or is simply impossible to sur-
onomatopoeic number (the ever-popular vive; this legend dates back to at least the
Nostradamus was also claimed to have pre- 1980s, has been set in nearly every major U.S.
dicted the catastrophes of 9/11). city, and typically states that the haunted at-
The idea that children are kidnapped on traction in question has five levels, each more
Halloween for use in Satanic cult rituals frightening than the last. Related to this is
probably started in 1973–4, after a wave of the story of the Halloween decoration de-
cattle mutilations. By 1975 officials were picting a hanged man which is actually a real
warning parents to keep younger children man, usually a suicide or murder victim.
inside after dark; by 1988, this urban legend Netlore, or the passing of urban legends
had appeared in at least nine states. A typi- via the internet and e-mail, has also pro-
cal example of this story arose in 1990, when duced popular Halloween stories, like the tale
it was claimed that one cult was trying to of a masked wife who seduces her unwitting
round up one hundred blond and blue-eyed and unfaithful husband at a Halloween party.
children. In actual fact, the FBI has never More malicious was a 2008 piece of netlore
confirmed any murder in the US as a sac- that claimed a local gang would be commit-
rifice. ting murders on or around Halloween; the
By 1989 some communities had taken number ranged from “31 women” to “14
these legends seriously enough to ban Hal- white people,” and the stories typically
loween because of them. National Guard claimed that the information had come from
Units offered free fingerprinting of children the local police. In December of that year,
the week before Halloween, hospitals offered police arrested a man named Andrew T.
free X-RAYS of their candy, and children were Lazaro for spreading these “false reports.”

V
Victorians— The nineteenth-century Vic- published showing a decorated tree at Wind-
torians were fond of festivals and CELEBRA- sor Castle), there is little evidence that the
TIONS, and it is often claimed that the con- British Victorians did much to promote and
temporary celebrations of both CHRISTMAS celebrate Halloween. One widely-mentioned
and Halloween are due to them. Although event did speak of Queen Victoria and a Hal-
their influence on Christmas is unquestioned loween visit to Balmoral, where she wit-
(Christmas trees, for example, didn’t become nessed “BURNING THE WITCH.” If the late
popular until 1848, when a photograph was nineteenth-century American upper-middle
 197 Walnuts

class can be properly called Victorians, then Catholicism, practiced originally by African
indeed their contribution to the holiday is slaves brought to Haiti and eventually to the
rich, since it was this group that, about 1870 Southern United States. Practitioners of
(when possibly the earliest magazine article Voodoo celebrate both ALL SAINTS’ DAY and
describing a party appeared in Godey’s Ladies ALL SOULS’ DAY (called Fête Guédé). A typi-
Book), discovered the celebration of the day cal Halloween ritual might ask lingering
among the poorer Scots-Irish immigrants, spirits to move on by invoking the help of
and claimed it for their own. Victorians were Papa Legba; rituals typically involve chant-
also fond of spiritualism and mediumship ing, singing, dancing, and offerings. Every
(practices later debunked by HARRY HOUDINI). year the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Mu-
seum hosts an “All Hallows Eve Voodoo Rit-
Voodoo (also voudoun, vodou)— Religion ual.”
combining West African beliefs with

W
Walking—A common SUPERSTITION through- the game was to find the member of the op-
out Europe and the British Isles has to do posite sex who had the counterpart seeds.
with walking on Halloween; if you hear foot- In another FORTUNE-TELLING game, En-
steps behind you, don’t turn to look since glish walnut half-shells were filled with wax
you’ll see the ghastly sight of a GHOST fol- and wicks or small CANDLES, named for
lowing you. In a variation of this belief, members of the party and floated in a large
you’re likely to see the specter of Death, a pan or tub of WATER. The movement of these
glimpse of which will hasten your own end. small boats to or away from each other fore-
Many FORTUNE-TELLING practices direct told future relationships; the first person
an unmarried young person to walk into a whose flame was extinguished would remain
room, to a field, or even to a body of WATER. unmarried.
For example, in an American variation of a In an older English custom, a young
classic divination involving a MIRROR, a man or woman would go to a walnut tree at
young lady was directed to walk into a room MIDNIGHT on Halloween and walk around it
BACKWARD at MIDNIGHT on Halloween, and THREE times, crying out each time. “Let him
look over her left shoulder, at which point (her) that is to be my true love bring me
she would see her future husband. some walnuts.” The future intended will
then be seen in the tree gathering walnuts.
Walnuts—Walnut trees held a place of honor
In “Thursday, or the Spell” from The Shep-
in some English Halloween traditions, be-
herd’s Week, poet John Gay refers to this cus-
cause of the fruit they bore at this time of
tom:
year. A GAME played at nineteenth-century
Halloween PARTIES involved placing a match-
Last Hallow Eve I sought a walnut tree,
ing seed of some kind (a bean, a pea, etc.) In hopes my true Love’s face that I might
inside two complete walnut shells, then tying see.
the shells shut with ribbon. The shells were Three times I called, three times I walked
divided, one box for men and one for apace;
women; upon receiving and opening a shell, Then in the tree I saw my true Love’s face.
Walpurgisnacht 198

An American version of this indicated that rains (plagues), blight and disaster to fields
a walnut branch could be placed in the liv- and crops. Houses were purified with juniper
ing room during a party, and as young men and rue as protection; ROWAN was fastened
walked around it three times, they repeated over doors. Dried hemlock, caper spurge,
this charm: and ROSEMARY were bundled, fastened on
At midnight round the walnut tree
poles and made into torches. German farm-
Three times I go; so let me see ers put three crosses and herbs over stable
My own true love before me stand, doors, and hid broomsticks so that witches
With walnuts for me in her hand. couldn’t use them; fires were lit around trees,
since the smoke would protect the trees from
In another nineteenth-century fortune-
the ravages of evil forces. When BELLS rang
telling game, small fortunes were written
on Walpurgisnacht, men carried torches and
with milk on white paper (compare to the
women banged pots and pans around the vil-
formula for WITCHES’ INK), allowed to dry
lage seven times. Witches flying on this night
and then placed in empty walnut shells. Each
would try to take a bite out of each church
guest at a party would select a shell, and hold
bell they passed. BONFIRES were lit, then the
the paper above a flame until the fortune was
ASHES strewn over fields to ward off blight
revealed. Here is a typical suggested fortune:
and mildew.
“It will be your fate to serve others; but your
This was also the night of Beltane, and
calling will be a high one. You will never suf-
Scots may have enacted old DRUID sacrificial
fer from want or hunger, and many will bless
rituals when they burned “The Carline,” a
you. There are sorrows in your life, but the
“devoted one” who was pelted with eggs and
closing years will be bright and happy.”
spoken of throughout the year as if dead. The
An Irish custom used walnut or chest-
Welsh reenacted sacrifice by sending NINE
nut shells, which were filled with red, yellow,
men (with pockets turned inside out as pro-
pink, and green paper (a few were left empty
tection against FAIRIES and witches) to the
as well). The shells were then sealed together
forest to collect nine kinds of wood for their
with wax, and after each person at a party
fires. When the fire was blazing, they drew
had selected one they were hung above a
by lot pieces of light and dark oatmeal CAKE,
lighted candle until the wax melted and the
and those who drew the dark (burned) pieces
colors were revealed. Red stood for love;
were required to jump THREE times through
pink, an affectionate nature; green, posses-
the flames.
sion of land; yellow, money; and empty, a life
Girls also practiced FORTUNE-TELLING on
of hard work.
this night, with many customs being similar
Walpurgisnacht (also Walpurgis Night)— to those practiced at Halloween. In one, the
European holiday celebrated on the eve of temperament of the future husband could be
MAY DAY, or April 30, and named after deduced by keeping a linen THREAD near an
Walpurga, an eighth-century British nun image of the Madonna for THREE days, then
who went to Germany to found holy houses at MIDNIGHT on Walpurgisnacht it was pulled
there, and is the protectress against magic. apart while reciting:
With Halloween, this is one end of the cal-
endar year in many parts of Europe (see Thread, I pull thee;
Walpurga, I pray thee,
QUARTER DAYS), just as SAMHAIN and BELTANE
That thou show to me
mark the two ends of the Celtic calendar. In What my husband’s like to be.
many parts of Europe this was believed to be
a night of great evil, as WITCHES held revels on Whether the thread was strong or easily
Brocken in the Harz Mountains, stole milk, broken, soft or tightly woven, indicated the
cast spells on livestock, and brought mur- future husband’s disposition.
 199 Water

Walpurgisnacht is mentioned in unprepared Americans were for a real an-

Goethe’s Faust, in a sequence where nouncement of war (at the time, Americans
Mephistopheles calls on a WILL-O’-THE-WISP were concerned over Hitler’s build-up of
to lead them into the mountains (the power in Germany). The show is now a Hal-
Brocken) to view the witches’ revels. As loween classic, and has probably been broad-
Mephistopheles describes it: cast on some U.S. radio station every Hal-
loween since.
They dance, they cook, they drink, make
love, and chat.
Now say, where’s something better than all Water—Water is a major component of Hal-
that? loween FORTUNE-TELLING: APPLES are bobbed
in it, LEAD is poured into it, lighted CANDLES
War of the Worlds—Undoubtedly the single are placed to sail on it, and wedding rings are
greatest act of Halloween PRANKING ever per- suspended in it; the three LUGGIE BOWLS—
petrated. On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles with clean water, dirty water and empty —
and his Mercury Theatre presented their also use water. In her book Pagan Celtic
dramatization of H. G. Wells’s classic on the Britain, Anne Ross notes that “springs, wells
Columbia Broadcasting System radio sta- and rivers are of first and enduring impor-
tions across the U.S., and instigated a na- tance as a focal point of Celtic cult practice
tionwide panic when listeners took its imi- and ritual.” Rivers were associated with fer-
tation of news bulletins for the real thing. tility in Celtic tradition, and the sacred feast
Although the drama ran for only one hour of SAMHAIN was often held on the shores of
and was introduced as “a radio play by lakes (Celts also threw treasure offerings into
Howard Koch suggested by the H. G. Wells lakes), so it is possible that the use of water
novel,” an estimated 1.2 million people in Halloween customs is a Celtic survival.
phoned police stations, ran down streets in Probably the most popular divination
panic and, in one case, even threatened to involving water was the Scottish tradition
take poison to keep from enduring the inva- sometimes called “the wetting of the sark
sion (fortunately the woman in question here sleeve”: A young unmarried person would
was stopped by her husband). At the con- go (although not necessarily alone) to a
clusion of the broadcast, Welles reassured his south-running spring or rivulet, where
audiences that the broadcast had been fic- “three lairds’ lands meet,” and dip the left
tional, calling it “the Mercury
Theatre’s own radio version of
dressing up in a sheet and
jumping out of a bush and
saying Boo! Starting now, we
couldn’t soap all your win-
dows and steal all your garden
gates, by tomorrow night…”
His final words for the eve-
ning: “…and if your doorbell
rings and nobody’s there, that
was no Martian … it’s Hal-
loween.” Over the next few
days, Welles and his cohorts
were demonized by some, but
praised by others, who felt the
show aptly demonstrated how Vintage postcard illustrating the “sark-sleeve” divination.
Water 200

shirt sleeve into the water (another version various misfortunes until they all died (at
states that the shirt must be dipped silently in which point their house was considered to
“a dead and living ford,” meaning a ford be haunted).
which has been crossed by a funeral). This A variation of this custom stated that a
person would then retire to bed in sight of a wet sheet hung in front of the fire on Hal-
fire, having hung the wet sleeve before the loween would show a vision of the future
fire to dry. He or she would then lie awake, mate.
and sometime near MIDNIGHT an apparition Modern practitioners of WICCA practice
(or FETCH) of the future beloved would come a cousin of this custom called the DREAMING
and turn the sleeve, as if to dry the other side STONES, in which three small stones are
of it. A variant of this custom suggests that a plucked from a boundary stream after dark,
nightdress be washed THREE times in running and placed under the pillow at home to in-
water; another said that the water should be duce dreams which will offer guidance.
brought “from a well which brides and buri- In one especially amusing tradition, a
als pass over.” In another version, the shirt fortune seeker would fill his or her mouth
or other linen item was to be hung up at 11 with water and WALK around the house or
P.M. and turned once by the girl at half-past, block without swallowing or spilling a drop;
then her future husband’s apparition would the first person of the opposite sex met was
appear at midnight. It was also possible that the future spouse. In an Irish variation, a
a girl might see a COFFIN (sometimes de- young unmarried woman must acquire the
scribed as dripping blood, indicating death by mouthful of water from a stream where two
accident) instead of a future husband. Usu- townlands border, then she must go to the
ally bread and butter were set out as well, and first house, listen at the doorway, and the first
after turning the garment the husband would male name will be that of her future hus-
take a bite of the food before departing. In band. One person describing this custom
some variations the garment had to be mentioned that girls had a tendency to go
washed in south-running water. Some have only to households where they had an inter-
suggested that this custom may have origi- est in some young male kin. In a variation,
nally been Scandinavian, since a similar cus- the young person had to fill the mouth with
tom was supposedly used to lure the Norse water and the right hand with SALT.
goddess Freya to assist in love divination. An American custom suggested that a
The Americans also have a version of glimpse of the face of one’s future spouse
the “sark sleeve”: On Halloween night a girl could be obtained by looking into a spring
would wash and dry an undergarment BACK- with a lightwood torch at midnight on Hal-
WARDS, then sit down before the stove back- loween; a fortune-seeker reluctant to go out
wards without speaking; if she was meant to after dark could approach the spring in the
marry, she would see her future husband daylight hours while carrying a broken EGG
come down the steps. If she was not to marry, in a glass. Pouring some of the spring water
she would see a black CAT come down the into the glass would disclose images of both
steps, followed by four men carrying a coffin. the future husband and the children the cou-
In a frightening Irish ghost story, the fetch ple would have. Another version of this
of the husband would enter by the front door stated that looking into the well at 11 o’clock
and leave by the back; in one old farmhouse, on Halloween Day would reveal one’s future.
a foolish girl performed this ritual without In the Midwest, the custom was to lie on
remembering that her home had no back- Halloween on one’s back by a well with a
door. When the apparition of the husband MIRROR held over the head, positioned to
was trapped in the house, it was revealed to show the bottom of the well; this would re-
actually be the DEVIL, and the family suffered veal the image of the future spouse in the
 201 Weather

mirror. In an Illinois variant, a girl must go were also left out on Halloween or All Souls’
to a spring on Halloween and take a mouth- Eve for returning souls to quench their thirst
ful of water, then return home walking back- from. See also HOLY WATER.
wards and get into bed backwards. She would
Weather—Because Halloween represents the
swallow the water, and would then DREAM of
onset of winter, there are several FORTUNE-
her future husband coming to give her a
TELLING customs involving the weather. One
drink; as with a DUMB CAKE ritual, this must
belief was that the weather could be foretold
all be accomplished in silence.
by looking at the MOON on Halloween eve-
In another popular divination, ques-
ning. Another Halloween weather belief
tioners would write the names of their love
(from the Shepherd’s Calendar) held that if a
interests on small pieces of paper. The pa-
chip cut from a “beach tree” [sic] was dry,
pers were rolled into individual bits of dough
the winter would prove to be warm. In Sus-
made from FLOUR and water, and then placed
sex, they had this saying regarding the
into a tub of water; the first name to rise up
weather:
would be that of the future mate.
One particular divination method in- If ducks do slide at Hallowtide,
volved going to bed on Halloween night with At Christmas they will swim.
a glass of water nearby, in which floated a A variation referred to MARTINMAS in-
small sliver of WOOD. During the night the stead:
sleeper would dream of falling from a bridge If there’s ice at Martinmas will bear a duck,
into a river and being rescued by the future There’ll be nothing after but sludge and
husband or wife. muck.
Water also figured in one WEATHER div-
ination: A stake placed upright at the junction There was sometimes a short spell of
of two streams on ALL S AINTS’ DAY would warm weather around Martinmas called “St.
forecast the winter weather. Martin’s Little Summer.” Shakespeare uses
Water also had certain protective pow- the name ALL-HALLOWN SUMMER in a refer-
ers on Halloween. In Orkney, they have a ence from Henry IV Part One. In Germany
special “forespoken water” which is sprin- they said, “ALL SAINTS’ DAY brings the sec-
kled on sick livestock or on boats when fish- ond summer,” and further noted, “All Saints’
ing is bad, especially at Halloween (they summer lasts three hours, three days or three
might also apply a cross of tar to the boats). weeks.” In Sweden, warm weather at this
In Wales, old women went to the parish holy time was called “the All Saints rest.” In Italy,
well on ALL SOULS’ DAY and washed their eyes they held this belief: “If All Saints find the
in the water, in the belief that this would help weather disturbed, they settle it; but if they
their eyesight retain its strength. find it fine they unsettle it”; a variant of this
One SUPERSTITION involving water also from Lombardy ran, “If All Saints unsettle
involved FAIRIES: It was thought to be bad the weather, All Souls set it to rights again.”
luck to throw out water on Halloween night, If it rained on ALL SOULS’ DAY, Dalma-
since the water might hit returning souls or tians noted: “The dead are weeping.”
even fairies (who could be angered by the There are several aphorisms regarding
act). It was helpful to call out “Seachain” All Saints’ Day and HARVEST, like this one:
(“beware”) or “Chughaibh an t’uisce” (“water On the first of November, if the weather
towards you”) as a warning. In Grey County, hold clear,
Ontario (Canada), it was believed that any- An end of wheat-sowing do make for the
one who threw out dirty water on Halloween year.
would see the DEVIL. There were also several SUPERSTITIONS
In many areas, bowls or jugs of water involving the WIND on Halloween; most of
Wedding Ring 202

these (such as the belief that wind soughing Any good thing to make us merry.
against your window on Halloween night One for Peter, one for Paul,
predicts your death within the coming year) Three for the man who made us all.
were eerie and concerned death. So up with the kettle and down with the pan,
Give us an answer and we’ll be gone.”
Wedding Ring— A wedding ring suspended
from a silken cord in a goblet of water could White Hare— One SUPERSTITION suggests
foretell a future mate on Halloween night; that a maiden who has died of a broken heart
as the string-holder went through the alpha- will come back as a white hare to haunt her
bet, any time the ring struck against the glass betrayer; the white hare will follow him
indicated one of the future beloved’s initials. everywhere but be invisible to all others, and
A variant from Cornwall stated that the ring will cause his death on some Halloween.
be strung on a length of cotton by a maiden,
Wicca (also The Craft, The Old Religion,
who would then say, “If my husband’s name
witchcraft) –Wicca is a neo-pagan practice,
is to be — let this ring swing.” Another Hal-
and as such is polytheistic and animistic. Al-
loween game also used a wedding ring, and
though Wiccan beliefs are divergent (some
is recalled in this 1937 poem “The First to
practitioners don’t consider it to be a reli-
Wed”:
gion), most Wiccans worship a Mother God-
A wedding ring is hung up in a doorway, dess and her male counterpart, a Horned
This wedding ring is hung up by a string; God. Many believe the theory espoused by
Just twelve feet back there stands a lovely Margaret Murray in her book The Witch-
maiden Cult in Western Europe, that contemporary
Who points a pencil at the hung up ring.
Wicca or witchcraft is the descendant of an
With cautious step she moves on toward the
doorway ancient fertility religion which was forced to
She dare not let the pencil rise or fall. go underground to survive. Modern Wicca
She aims to slip it first straight through the is usually considered to have been inaugu-
trinket rated in 1951 by Gerald Gardner, who
For then she soon will hear Dan Cupid’s claimed to have been initiated in a system
call. practiced by persecuted but benevolent
Wedding rings were also the most com- WITCHES for centuries.

mon tokens baked into BARM BRACK, BOXTY, The Old English wicce (probably stem-
BREAD, CAKES or other Halloween FOODS that ming from a root word meaning either “to
might contain small FORTUNE-TELLING to- know” or “to turn aside”) eventually became
kens. the word “witch,” and modern practitioners
of witchcraft returned to this root word
Welles, Orson see War of the Worlds when seeking a new name for themselves (al-
Wheat— A popular seasonal saying was: though many still prefer the more traditional
“Sow wheat from Michaelmas to Hallon- “witch”). Wiccans celebrate eight “sabbats,”
tide.” See also: CORN. including Halloween or SAMHAIN (paradox-
ically, newer covens tend to use Samhain,
Whistle Wassail Night— Name for Hal- while older covens still use Halloween). Hal-
loween sometimes used by children in north- loween is also one of the four High Holidays,
west Shropshire, who practiced SOULING on or Greater Sabbats (or QUARTER DAYS), and is
October 31st with this rhyme: sometimes called “The Great Sabbat,” since
“Whistle, wassail, it is commonly held to be the most impor-
Bread and possel, tant holiday of the year. It is most often rec-
An apple or a pear, ognized as the New Year, but is also called
A plum or a cherry, Ancestor Night (other Wiccan names for
 203 Will-o’-the-Wisp

Halloween are Day of the Dead, and Shad- loween to honor and nourish the souls of the
owfest or Strega); the day may also be re- dead. Wiccans also utilize particular Hal-
ferred to as Third Festival of Harvest (the loween herbs (mugwort, allspice, broom,
first two are Lughnasad on August 1 and Fall catnip, deadly nightshade, mandrake, oak
Equinox on September 21). Wiccans believe leaves, sage and straw), Halloween incense
that on this night the Goddess (in her (heliotrope, mint, and NUTMEG), Halloween
“crone” form) enters the Underworld, where stones (all black stones, especially obsidian),
the God reigns as Lord of Death and Rebirth; Halloween plants (allspice, apples, catnip,
the God is reborn at the Winter Solstice, and gourds, mugwort, and sage), Halloween oils
he rules as the Bright Lord or Oak King until (basil, camphor, clove, frankincense, lilac,
the Summer Solstice, when he impregnates yarrow, and ylang-ylang), and Halloween
the Goddess and becomes the Dark Lord teas (angelica, apple, catnip, Indian hyppo,
again. Modern covens occasionally echo this sage and valerian; these teas are often drunk
structure by letting the High Priest oversee just before a Sabbat ritual).
the coven beginning on Samhain, with ruler- In 1970, the Witches International Craft
ship returned to the High Priestess at Associates received a permit from the Parks
BELTANE. Some Wiccans also believe that on Department of New York City to hold a
this night they enter the dreamtime, and can “Witch-in,” which was held in Sheep Meadow
remember past lives. and attended by more than a thousand. In
With such an important holiday, 1999, about two hundred Wiccans and other
Witches often hold two distinct celebrations: pagans gathered at Halloween in Washing-
First, a large Halloween party for non–Wic- ton, D.C., “to show society who we are and
can friends is often held on the previous what we really do,” said Helen Roper, pres-
weekend; and then a coven ritual is held on ident of the Blessed Be Pagan Unity Inc.; and
Halloween night itself, late enough so as not to correct the misconception that witches
to be interrupted by trick or treaters. A Wic- worship the DEVIL. They conducted a drum-
can Halloween sabbat ritual usually involves ming ritual in honor of the ancestors at the
a CAULDRON (which may be sprinkled with Jefferson Memorial, a Samhain ritual, Tam-
incense), a High Priest and a High Priestess, bor to Oguan, a Santeria service honoring
an invitation to the dead to visit with their Orisha, god of the forests and hard work, and
loved ones in the coven on that night, and a a Radical Faeries ritual, performed by a gay
reaffirmation of life. The ritual is followed men’s group.
by feasting and partying (during which one Wiccan ideas have been adopted by
coven member designated as “the LORD OF feminist groups as well, some of whom cel-
MISRULE” may carry out some PRANKING and ebrate Samhain or Halloween with an em-
mischief ). phasis on female spirituality.
Wiccans use many of the symbols of
Halloween in their Halloween or Samhain Will-o’-the-Wisp (also spunky)— Like the
rituals. For example, JACK-O’-LANTERNS may JACK-O’-LANTERN, the will-o’-the-wisp (also
be placed at the four points of a magick cir- known as teine sith, or “fairy light”) is an
cle (symbolizing Air, Water, Earth and Fire) enigmatic light glimpsed in bogs or swamps.
and lit at the beginning of the ritual; they are These lights are occasionally thought to be
also believed to be welcoming beacons for the ghosts of unbaptized infants (the same
visiting souls. Wiccans display images of explanation is sometimes given for PIXIES).
GHOSTS and SKELETONS to celebrate their be- Will-o’-the-wisp shares many trickster leg-
lief in reincarnation, and cauldrons can be ends (a great deal of which are set on Hal-
used to hold incense during a Samhain ritual. loween) in common with jack-o’-lantern,
APPLES may be buried by Wiccans on Hal- even though in reality these bobbing lights
Willows 204

are a natural phenomenon known as ignis forge and sledgehammer them until the devil
fatuus (meaning “foolish” or “false fire”). screams for mercy, which Billy grants only
In the traditional Irish tale “The Three when the devil gifts him with twice as much
Wishes,” Billy Dawson is a young rogue money and the promise to never return.
whose father apprentices him to a black- When Billy finally dies, he finds himself
smith. Billy eventually marries an equally turned away from heaven, and so he turns to
reprobate wife, and descends ever lower into hell. Once informed that his old adversary
poverty and dissolution. One day he allows Billy Dawson is at the gates, the devil is so
an old beggar to warm himself at the forge, alarmed that he runs to the gates and orders
and in gratitude the beggar—who is actually his men to keep them barred. Billy tries to
St. Moroky — grants him three wishes. Billy shove his nose through the bars, and the devil
wishes for a hammer at the forge that no one tweaks his nose, which is set eternally aflame.
can stop using until Billy releases them; an Left with no other option, Billy wanders the
armchair that releases none who sit in it until earth with his flaming nose and beard tan-
Billy commands; and a purse that will open gled with wisps of hay, seeking bogs and fens
to none but Billy. For a while Billy uses these into which he can cool his burning pro-
tricks to extort money from unwary neigh- boscis. Hence his name —“Will o’ the
bors, but eventually they catch on and he Wisp”— and the relationship of bogs and
finds himself so broke that he calls upon the fens.
DEVIL. The devil appears and offers him an
Willows—One Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING
immense amount of money, but says he’ll re-
custom dictates that a maiden take a willow
turn for Billy in seven years. Billy spends the
branch (or wand) in her right hand (al-
money in five, and is forced to return to
though it was a ball of YARN in some ver-
blacksmithing, where the devil finds him at
sions), leave the house unseen, and run
the end of the seven years. Billy persuades
around the house THREE times while reciting,
Old Nick to help hammer a last horseshoe,
“He that is to be my goodman, come and
and the devil falls prey to Billy’s enchanted
grip.” On the third circuit the FETCH of the
hammer. Billy leaves him hammering for a
future husband would appear and take the
month, then forces the devil to grant him
other end of the willow.
more money and another seven years. Again,
In an American Halloween game, girls
the money is gone in five, and this time Old
were given hoops made of willow and told
Nick returns to find Billy fighting with his
to step through them while the hostess re-
wife.
cited:
When Satan tries to protect Billy’s wife,
she surprises him with a blow that drives him The first to go through the willow hoop
back into the magic armchair. Billy takes ad- Will be the first to wear a gold one.
vantage of the Devil’s captivity to torture
Willow sprigs and branches are also
him by twisting his nose impossibly out of
used in the Chinese festival CH’ING MING,
shape with heated tongs, and once again the
and some modern WICCA practices also sug-
devil grants him money and seven more
gest the use of willow wands.
years. As before, the money is gone before
the seven years; this time the devil is wary of Wind—Several SUPERSTITIONS concern wind:
Billy, and tries to trick him by turning him- For example, wind blowing over CORPSES on
self into a coin that he knows Billy will spot Halloween night will speak the future to
and pick up. Billy does, and once inside those brave enough to listen. Wind soughing
Billy’s purse Satan announces himself, but against the window on this evening predicts
Billy tells him he’s trapped in the purse. Billy your death within the year. Wind at a CROSS-
proceeds to place both purse and coin on the ROADS predicts events from the coming year.
 205 Witches

In some parts of England people took lighted by a torch between the horns of the
CANDLES to the bottom of the garden on Hal- goat. When the torch was burned out the
loween night to see which way the wind blew, witches gathered the ashes which were sup-
for it would remain in that quarter for three posed to be especially potent in incantations.
months. If an easterly wind set in, it foretold The word “witch” originally comes from
sickness during the coming quarter. the old English word wicce, meaning “one
Wind was also used to predict the who practices magic”; the root of wicce was
WEATHER, as demonstrated in this adage: probably either “to know” or “to turn aside.”
Where the wind is at Hollandtide — that is, How witches came to be so strongly associ-
All Saints— it will remain most of the winter. ated with Halloween is unclear; some schol-
ars have suggested that witches represent
In Cumberland, it was believed that early pagan worshippers, just as the devil and
whatever quarter a bull faced when laying his demons are transformed pagan gods.
down on Halloween, from that quarter the Although witchcraft is mentioned in
wind would blow through most of the com- the Bible in both the Old and New testa-
ing winter. ments, many early Church figures were op-
Wishing— Closely connected to Halloween posed to the idea of its existence, including St.
FORTUNE-TELLING customs were Halloween Hippolytus and St. Chrysostom; about the
wishing rituals. For example, this Scottish ninth century, the “Canon Episcopi” de-
Halloween night practice: Write your wish nounced the claims of witches to be able to
on a piece of paper and roll it up, then place fly. In 1258 Pope Alexander IV forbade the
it on the fire. If it burns up immediately, your Inquisition to deal with cases of witchcraft
wish will be granted, but if it chars and re- unless they were related to heresy, but later
mains half-burned, you will be disappointed. theologians argued that witchcraft was a
form of heresy because it involved a pact with
Witchcraft see Wicca
the devil, and from 1398 on the Inquisition
Witches— Not to be confused with WICCA was given jurisdiction over such cases. In
and the modern practice of witchcraft, the 1484 two German inquisitors (Heinrich
idea of “witches” in connection with Hal- Kramer and Jacob Sprenger) obtained a bull
loween invariably refers to the stereotypical from Pope Innocent VIII giving them juris-
conception of a withered hag in league with diction over witchcraft, and in 1487 they
the DEVIL, practicing her malicious arts with printed the bull at the front of their witch-
the help of a CAULDRON, a familiar (typically hunting manual, Malleus Maleficarum
a black CAT), and an olio of herbs and strange (“Hammer of Witches”), so that it appeared
animal parts. Or, from George William to be officially sanctioned. From that point
Douglas’s American Book of Days (1937): on, witch-hunting became a frenzy through-
The witches held a party on Hallowe’en and out Europe; witchcraft trials reached their
the women, who seemed like other people height between 1580 and 1630. Probably
during the rest of the year, but had sold their about 50,000 were executed for this alleged
soul to the devil, would put a stick in their crime, although some have also suggested the
beds anointed with the fat of murdered ba- number was in the millions. In England, the
bies. This would change itself into their like- worst persecution occurred during 1645–6,
ness and they would fly up the chimney on a when the activities of the notorious witch-
broomstick attended by black cats. They met
the devil at a place arranged by him to which
finder Matthew Hopkins led to 200 execu-
he rode on a goat. They drank out of horses’ tions. Witch-hunting had basically ended by
skulls and danced in a circle from west to 1750; the last legal execution took place in
east, or widdershins … the devil played a Switzerland in 1782.
bagpipe for the dancing and the revelers were Halloween was supposedly one of the
Witches 206

four great witch festivals days: May Eve animals; one British folk tale tells of the
(April 30), called Roodmas or Rood Day in killing of three Halloween witches, one in the
Britain and WALPURGISNACHT in Germany; form of an OWL, one a mouse and one a jack-
NOVEMBER EVE (October 31), called in Britain daw. Another belief is that by injuring or
Allhallow Eve; Candlemas (Feb. 2) and the killing a witch’s familiar or imp, one would
Gule of August (August 1), called LAMMAS in injure or kill the actual witch. Witches would
Britain; all were, of course, celebrated at the stop mills, put boulders before ploughs, ride
stroke of MIDNIGHT. Testimony delivered upon the ocean winds and upset fishing
during a witches trial in Aberdeen described boats, and cause sickness in humans and
typical witches’ Halloween activities as in- livestock.
cluding music-playing and dancing “wnder In Britain, a protection against witches
the conduct and gyding of the Dewill present was to plait pitchforks with burning STRAW
withe you, all in company, playing befoir yow and wave them overhead to singe the BROOMS
on his kynd of instrumentis.” of lurking witches. In Lancashire it was be-
Witches were greatly feared on Hal- lieved that witches gathered on Halloween at
loween, as seen in this saying from South the Malkin Tower, a ruined and desolate
Uist and Eriskay: farmhouse in the forest of Pendle. To keep
them at bay, it was necessary to carry a
Hallowe’en will come, will come, lighted CANDLE about the fells from 11 to 12 on
Witchcraft will be set agoing,
Halloween night; the witches would try to
Fairies will be at full speed,
Running in every pass, blow out the candles. Beggars went house-
Avoid the road, children, children. to-house, offering their services to “LEET THE
WITCHES .” In Scotland, witches were ban-
One British custom was to place food ished by waving torches and chanting the fol-
outside on Halloween for witches, since it lowing:
was thought to be better to placate them with
This is the night of Halloween.
food rather than risk being the target of their All the witches to be seen,
spells. Some of them black, and some of them
Witches were supposedly capable of green,
transforming themselves into any number of And some of them like a randy quean.
Halloween we fear will come.
Witchcraft will be done by
some.
Burn your brand and let us
see
Confusion to the witches be!

(Black witches were those who

had sold themselves to the
Devil, and so were evil; green
witches were good. A child’s
version of the above rhyme
substitutes the pleasantly non-
sensical “Some of them like a
turkey bean” for the fourth
line.)
Although witches are no
These two vintage Halloween noisemakers show two di›erent longer feared on Halloween,
ideas of Halloween witches. they have remained a popular
 207 Wraith

Halloween icon; not only are

witches among the most popu-
lar COSTUMES each Halloween,
but witches are even the sub-
ject of the most popular Hal-
loween rhyme in England:
We’re witches of Halloween —
Woo-oo
The ugliest you’ve ever seen —
Woo-oo
We fly around at night
And give you such a fright,
We’re witches of Halloween —
Woo-oo
We’re witches of Halloween —
Woo-oo
Our faces are crooked and Nineteenth-century engraving showing the Salem witch tri-
green — Woo-oo als.
We have black pointed hats
And wicked witches’ cats, Wood— One popular FORTUNE-TELLING cus-
We’re witches of Halloween — Woo-oo tom involved floating a small sliver of wood
Titled simply “Witches of Halloween” (and in a glass of water by one’s bedside on Hal-
originally composed by Cynthia Raza), this loween night, then reciting these lines just
rhyme was popularized through its use on prior to sleeping:
the BBC-TV program “Words and Pictures.” Husband mine, that is to be,
In America, Salem (once the home of Come this night and rescue me.
the most widely-known American witch tri- This would supposedly invoke Hal-
als) is now a popular destination point on loween DREAMS of falling from a bridge and
Halloween, and boasts a number of events being rescued by one’s future intended.
as part of its Halloween CELEBRATIONS. A few different types of wood — in-
A prosaic American folk saying is that cluding ROWAN and WILLOW— were also
“On Halloween, witches ride their broom- thought to have special powers on Hal-
sticks to brush cobwebs off the moon.” loween.
Witches’ Ink— An ink made of milk, Wraith— Wraith can refer to the spirit of ei-
strained lemon juice, baking soda and water; ther a dead person (like a GHOST) or a living
the ink is invisible until the white paper it is person (a FETCH). A report from the secre-
written on is held to heat. One early twenti- tary of the Commonwealth in 1691 noted:
eth-century Halloween party GAME involved “What the Low-countrey Scotts calls a
slips of paper on which fortunes were writ- Wreath, and the Irish Taibhshe or Death’s
ten in witches’ ink. The fortunes were often Messenger.” Wraiths would also appear to
amusing couplets, such as this example: relatives to warn of sickness or death, and
You’ll be a missionary and learn to sing and were sometimes also called a sith (which is
shout, similar to a word for FAIRIES, sidhe). In their
But cannibals will eat you, and finish you, aspect as the spirit of a person still living,
no doubt.
wraiths figure into the many Halloween FOR-
Withering Day— Like Winter’s Day, this TUNE-TELLING customs in which a young un-
Finno-Ugrian day was celebrated in mid– married person is granted a look at his or her
October (the 14). future intended.
X-rays 208

X
X-rays —In light of fears of razor blades in tional Zapotec biquie, a floor-to-ceiling of-
APPLES (see URBAN LEGENDS ), in the 1970s fering of foods and flowers set up beneath
many hospitals began to offer free x-rays of two arching banana trees. Neighbors visit
children’s TRICK OR TREAT candy, and posi- house-to-house offering small donations of
tioned themselves as the last stop on Hal- money in exchange for ceremonial foods, and
loween night. Despite the fact that the Amer- visits to the cemeteries are also conducted.
ican Association of Poison Control noted
that x-rays could not detect poison or drug- Xantolo—DAYS OF THE DEAD celebration
laced candies (adding that hospitals might found in the lush central Mexican states of San
also be opening themselves up to litigation Luis Potosi and Hidalgo, and considered the
involving children injured by eating x-rayed region’s most important festival. Huastecan
CANDY), the practice has become what author members of the ancient Tenek tribe (relatives
Bill Ellis refers to as a new custom (in his of the Mayans) celebrate Xantolo (a name de-
paper “‘Safe Spooks’: New Halloween Tradi- rived from the Nahuatl language version of the
tions in Response to Sadism Legends”). In Latin Sanctorum, or saints) beginning on Oc-
fact, hospitals have worked to make the prac- tober 28th, as bakers prepare special breads
tice entertaining for children, by having the and family members who died in accidents are
staff dress in costume, by decorating the hos- remembered. Xantolo continues on with a re-
pitals, and by offering the x-rays plates to membrance of children who died without re-
children as Halloween souvenirs. ceiving baptism (on October 30th), deceased
children (October 31st), and continues
Xandu Ya—DAYS OF THE DEAD celebration through November 2nd celebrating dead adult
from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, practiced by loved ones (in some areas of the state, No-
the Tehuanos (descendents of the Zapotecs). vember 3rd becomes a day of ritualized clean-
The holiday begins on October 30th, with ing and prayer offering to mark the end of
memorial altars to deceased loved ones; any- Xantolo). Arches are a significant part of Xan-
one who has died within the previous year tolo decorating, and may be constructed both
must have been dead at least forty days prior over an altar and at the entrance to a home;
to the start of the festival. As in other Mexican visits to cemeteries occur typically during the
Day of the Dead celebrations, dead children day, and music and dance (with the dancers
are remembered on October 31st, with adults usually in MASKS) also figure into Xantolo.
following on November 1st and 2nd. The However, this is one of the few areas in Mex-
preparation of food offerings (atole, tamales) ico in which candy skulls do not typically
is shared by neighbors, as are the altars, which appear during Day of the Dead celebrations.
take the form of stepped pyramids. The altar, Some areas of San Luis Potosi also cel-
which includes a photo of the deceased as ebrate the Ochavario, a period of eight days
well as food and flowers, is called the All New when the spirits are believed to still be pre-
Saints altar. The Tehuanos believe the de- sent and food offerings are made through-
ceased souls return during Xandu Ya as but- out this time. The Ochavario usually ends on
terflies; the first night is celebrated with November 9th, when it is believed that the
music and fireworks. In some houses the spirits depart, but in some areas it continues
pyramidal altar is replaced with the tradi- as long as November 30th.
 209 Yarn

Y
Yann Postick— A Halloween folk tale from custom specify that it must be performed at
Brittany tells of Yann Postick, who ignored MIDNIGHT , while others state that the yarn
the duties of offering prayer for the dead on must be wound back in “widdershins,” or
ALL SOULS’ EVE and instead spent the night against the course of the sun. In another vari-
carousing in the tavern. At MIDNIGHT he ation, the girl needs to simply roll the ball of
drunkenly passed the CROSSROADS calvary, yarn out a door and down some steps on
took the wrong turn and came upon a hearse Halloween.
drawn by coal-black steeds. Since the hearse In Wales, two girls made a LADDER of
blocked his path, Yann Postick shouted at it, yarn without breaking it from the ball, threw
and heard in response: “I seek Yann Postick.” it out the window, then wound the yarn
Suddenly Yann was engulfed in a shroud by back. This was done THREE times, and as the
the hideous “washerwomen of the night,” yarn was wound back the girls would see
who commanded him to wring it out. The their future husbands climbing the ladder.
more he struggled the tighter the shroud
wrapped around him, while the washer-
women shrieked, “Forever we must wash our
linens, in the rain, the snow and the wind.
Cursed be he who forgets to pray for his
dead.” Then Yann saw their faces: They were
his mother, wife and sister. The next day
Yann was found dead, and at his burial the
CANDLES continually blew themselves out.
Yann was buried in unconsecrated ground.

Yarn— The most common Halloween FOR-

TUNE - TELLING method involving yarn di-
rected a young woman to throw blue yarn
into a LIME-KILN in order to find out the
name of her future husband. However, given
the increasing scarcity of lime-kilns, over
time the custom evolved to the point where
the girl was simply required to throw the
yarn out of a window on Halloween; while
holding one end of the thread, she then re-
wound it while saying the Pater Noster back-
wards, and, upon looking outside, she would
see her future husband. In one very particu-
lar variant, the yarn must be blue wool which
has been teased, carded and spun by the for-
tune-seeker from the fleece of a male lamb,
and the words “Wha hauds on to my clue’s Vintage postcard showing colonials practic-
end?” must be spoken. Some versions of this ing a yarn divination.
Yew 210

An American version specifies that the celebration was sometimes referred to as the
yarn custom must be practiced around a “Chinese ALL SOULS’ DAY.” It is held on
barn, an old house or a cellar on Halloween; Moon 7, Day 15, which is either July 15 or
the girl would throw the yarn into the struc- August 15 in the Western calendar; souls
ture, then wind it back while repeating: from the Buddhist and Taoist purgatory
I wind, I wind, my true love to find,
roam the earth on this day. In some areas of
The color of his hair, the clothes he will wear, China it was known as the Chieh Tsu, or “Re-
The day he is married to me. ceiving Ancestors Festival.” In most areas the
festival lasted three days.
The shade of the girl’s future husband would Yue Laan was similar to the Western
appear to wind with her. ALL SAINTS’ DAY observances in that it con-
In another variation, a girl would walk sisted mainly of honoring the familial dead,
around the outside of her home unwinding and visiting and decorating their graves. In
a ball of yarn while repeating: the Chinese tradition, FAMILIES clean and
Whoever will my husband be decorate tombs (although most have already
Come wind this ball behind of me. done this at the earlier CH’ING MING), where
offerings of food and paper money (as well as
One fortune-telling custom dictated
other paper items, such as paper clothes or
that a maiden take a ball of yarn in her right
even paper vehicles) are burned. At home,
hand (although it was a WILLOW branch in
wine is poured over the altar and firecrack-
some versions), leave the house unseen, and
ers are lit to dispel evil spirits. The beggars of
run around it three times reciting, “He that
the afterlife are also offered something, and
is to be my goodman, come and grip.” On
the local deity receives three dishes of food,
the third circuit the FETCH of the future hus-
three cups of wine, three incense-sticks, two
band would appear and take the other end
candles, and three packets of paper money.
of the yarn.
At the conclusion, the family feasts together
Upon occasion these fortune-telling
in the ancestral hall of the clan, and finally
methods could fall victim to PRANKING; for
the head of the family puts paper money and
example, one tale told of a man who once
other items in a basket and burns it at the
hid in a barn on Halloween, since he knew a
door, saying “Goodbye, go quickly.” The fes-
young lady would be visiting there at mid-
tival originally ended with burning lamps on
night with her yarn. When she threw the
lakes, but this practice was banned by the
yarn in, he called out the name of a man the
government as superstitious. Children were
girl hated. The girl became very ill, and re-
generally kept indoors at this time, to keep
covered only when assured it was a joke.
them safe from both GHOSTS and the poor.
Blue yarn in particular is specified in
In Formosa the feast in honor of the
most of these customs, and blue yarn also
dead was once conducted in a different fash-
appears in some WITCHES’ spells.
ion: The food was tied in rows on great cone-
Yew— A ritual from Herefordshire specified like structures of bamboo poles, often as
that a young girl who wanted to see her fu- high as 50 or 60 feet. After the food had been
ture husband in DREAMS on Halloween offered to the spirits, it was offered to a vast
should place beneath her pillow a sprig of mob who fought each other in their efforts to
yew from a tree growing in a churchyard in climb the structures. After the structures col-
which she’d never been before. lapsed and deaths resulted, the practice was
banned in 1894.
Yue Laan (also known as the Festival of the
The Taiwanese call this day “opening of
Unforgotten Dead or Hungry Ghost Festi-
the gates of Hell.” A banquet-sacrifice called
val)—In the nineteenth century this Chinese
phó-to must be prepared for the wandering
 211 Zoos

souls. The Gates of Hell are open until the lanterns along river banks lead the souls of
30th, which is the birthday of Te-châng ông, those who drowned to their final resting
the Buddhist saint who presides over the in- places.
fernal regions and tries to release the suffer- In Vietnam, the Trung Nguyen (“Wan-
ing souls from torment. Figures of the gen- dering Souls’ Day”) is the second-largest fes-
erals Fan and Hsieh, guardians of the tival (after Tet). This is the best day for
entrance to Hell, are placed around for pro- priests and relatives to secure amnesty for
tection. Ghosts without families have rites souls in purgatory; on this day, the gates of
conducted for them on these days: Food is hell are opened, and souls fly out, unclothed
laid out before each house, and incense and and hungry, so paper clothing is burned for
paper money are burned. Lanterns are them along with paper money.
floated on rivers, and processions with

Z
Zoos— Zoos in many cities throughout ing 900 volunteers (plus zoo staff ). With
North America have become the focal points over 30,000 guests each year, “Haunt the
of civic Halloween CELEBRATIONS geared es- Zoo” is one of the zoo’s biggest earners.
pecially toward children aged 11 and younger. Other zoos, such as Baltimore’s, emphasize
As an alternative to TRICK OR TREAT (which scary animals, including bats, snakes and
many parents believe to be dangerous) or owls; the zoo’s two African elephants also
HAUNTED HOUSES (generally deemed too in- participate in a “pumpkin smash” every year.
tense for younger children), zoos offer a wide The Louisville Zoo claims to host “The
variety of Halloween activities for children. World’s Largest Halloween Party,” with a
Many cities host “Boo at the Zoo” events, “trick or treat route” for costumed young-
which typically include free CANDY, face sters. New York City’s zoo strives to offer ac-
painting, midway-style games, and educa- tivities for small-fry too young to take part in
tional events. the city’s Greenwich Village PARADE festivi-
Oklahoma City Zoo’s “Haunt the Zoo” ties.
will soon celebrate its twentieth anniversary,
and is probably the largest Halloween zoo Zuni see Ahoppa Awan Tewa
event, taking place over six days and involv-
This page intentionally left blank
 Appendix I
Chronology of Halloween

3000 B.C.— Egypt is united under one ruler (the 609 — Boniface IV consecrates the Pantheon, sets
pharaoh), hieroglyphic writing invented All Saints’ Day to May 13
1500 B.C.— Unknown Egyptian priest writes The 657 — First recorded celebration of Bon Festival
Book of the Dead in Japan
1200–750 B.C.—“Proto Celtic” (Urnfield) civili- 680 — Christian Third Council of Constantino-
zation of the Bronze Age, throughout Europe. ple tries to abolish bonfires
939 B.C.— First record of Samhain occurs during 731–741— Pontificate of Gregory III, who moves
reign of King Tigernmas (26th king of Ireland); All Saints’ Day to November 1
he and many of his people are slain while wor- 742 — Church condemns practice of “need-fire”
shipping an idol on Samhain as a pagan custom
753 B.C.— Founding of Rome 800–1100 — Christian monks set down Irish and
750–300 B.C.— Golden Age of Greece Celtic sagas
279 B.C.— The Celts suffer a devastating defeat at 827–844 — Pontificate of Gregory IV, who orders
Delphi and move north and west in greater universal observance of All Saints’ Day
numbers 998 — Odilon institutes All Souls’ Day on No-
55 B.C.— Caesar invades Britain vember 2
45 B.C.— Julian calendar goes into effect 999–1003 — Pontificate of Silvester II, who ap-
A.D. 1— Christ is born; the Christian era begins proves All Souls’ Day
A.D. 8 — Ovid is exiled, never finishes the Fasti 1200—About this time the “Horseshoe and Hob-
(Feralia and Lemuria still observed in Rome at nail Service” begins
this time) 1300–1400 — All Souls’ Day is placed in official
A.D. 43 — Claudius begins conquest of Britain books of Western Church
A.D. 51— The British leader Caratacos is taken by 1471–1484—Pontificate of Sixtus IV, who adds oc-
the Romans; Britain is conquered tave to All Saints’ Day
A.D. 100–400 — Ireland remains unconquered by 1487 —Malleus Maleficarum is published; witch-
the Romans, and now is the age of the Celts hunts begin in earnest
recorded later on (with Samhain celebrations at 1493 —Festivall mentions celebrating Halloween
Tlachtga, etc.) with “good frendes”
306–407 — St. Ephrem Syrus and St. Chrysostom 1509 and 1603 — Henry VIII and daughter Eliza-
celebrate a feast similar to All Saints’ Day beth I both abolish bell-ringing on Halloween
313–325 — Christianity becomes the official reli- 1511—Festyvall mentions giving of “brade” to the
gion of Rome poor on Halloween
317 — St. Martin is born 1517 — On October 31 of this year Martin Luther
400–500 — Christianity spreads through Ireland begins the Reformation
538 — According to legend, Festival of the Spirits 1548 — First appearance of the poem “Tamlane”
(or Yue Laan) is first celebrated in China 1555—Ordinance passed in Scotland prohibiting
601— Pope Gregory writes letter to Abbot dis- the use of Lords of Misrule
cussing Catholic response to pagan temples and 1582 — Gregorian calendar goes into effect in
rituals parts of Europe, shifting dates by 11 days

213
Appendix I 214

1584—Alexander Montgomerie’s “Flyting Against 1885 — Magazine article has one of first mentions
Polwart” appears of jack-o’-lanterns used at Halloween
1585 — First report of guising at Halloween 1889 — Vassar College holds a Mother Goose-
1605 — On November 5 Guy Fawkes is appre- themed Halloween party
hended; Gunpowder Plot is exposed 1895 — Magazine article argues that May Day
1606 — Guy Fawkes is executed; Parliament de- should become as popular in U.S. as Halloween
clares November 5 a holiday 1898 — First Halloween book published (Hallo-
1627 — Northumberland record book records we’en: How to Celebrate It, by Martha Russell
bell-ringing on Guy Fawkes Day Orne)
1629 — Bulstrode Whitelocke oversees a festive 1900 — Serious Halloween retailing begins in
Halloween gathering in Britain America with the B. Shackman Company
1647 — Parliament bans all festivals except Guy 1902–1904 — Lady Gregory’s collections of Celtic
Fawkes Day mythology are published
1729 — First recording of the ballad of Tam Lin 1904 — African American poet Charles Frederick
1740s— First reports of Mexican celebration of White publishes “Hallowe’en”; the character
Days of the Dead Jack Pumpkinhead first appears in The Mar-
1751— Gregorian calendar accepted in England velous Land of Oz; “Halloween Night at the
1766 — Royal Criminal Chamber tries to limit Seminary” becomes first Halloween film
Mexican Days of the Dead festivities 1907 — Hatherleigh holds its first annual Guy
1772 — Thomas Pennant records Scottish Hal- Fawkes Carnival
loween celebrations 1909 — Dennison begins publishing Bogie Books
1782 — Last legal execution for witchcraft takes 1912—Merchants in Danville, Illinois, begin host-
place in Switzerland ing a yearly Halloween costume contest for
1785 — Robert Burns writes “Hallowe’en” children
1786 — Charles Vallancey publishes mistaken in- 1914—James Joyce publishes Dubliners, which in-
terpretations of Samhain cludes his Irish Halloween story “Clay”
1799 —Statistical Account of Scotland notes Hal- 1915—Pope Benedict XV gives priests permission
loween bonfires are attended only by children to say three masses on All Souls’ Day; Sir James
1801— Matthew Lewis publishes his Halloween Frazer publishes 12-volume third edition of The
ballad “Bothwell’s Bonny Jane” Golden Bough
1814 — Sir Walter Scott publishes his novel Wav- 1916 — Dennison makes first commercially-pro-
erley, which includes the Halloween song “St. duced Halloween costumes (from disposable
Swithin’s Chair” paper); Toussaint is called “the most impres-
1820—Washington Irving publishes “The Legend sive holiday of the entire year” in France
of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle” 1920 — Anoka, Minnesota, begins its Halloween
1833 — Guy Fawkes celebrations are abolished in celebrations; Prohibition commences, and
America; Scottish explorer J. E. Alexander de- adult Halloween celebrations begin to decline
scribes Halloween as a day for children 1924 — A storage room in the Biltmore Estate is
1841—First mention of sugar skulls in Days of the converted to the “Halloween Room”
Dead celebrations 1926 — Harry Houdini dies on Halloween
1845—Arthur Cleveland Coxe’s book Halloween, 1927 — The phrase “trick or treat” is used with
a Romaunt, with Lays is published Halloween pranking in Alberta, Canada
1846–1852—Potato famine in Ireland; many Irish 1929 — Arthur Ford utters the key phrase during
immigrate to America the yearly séance to contact Houdini
1847 — Officials in Lewes try to limit Guy Fawkes 1931— 7-year-old Truman Capote’s Halloween
Day celebrations; compromise is reached party is protested by Ku Klux Klan; first ani-
1859 — Special service for Guy Fawkes Day is ex- mated Halloween film (“Toby the Pup in Hal-
cised from the Book of Common Prayer loween”) is released
1860 — Areas of Lincolnshire ban shooting on 1933 — Destructive pranking causes some Amer-
Guy Fawkes Day ican cities to call Halloween this year “Black
1868 — Guy Fawkes pranking is banned in Guild- Hallowe’en”
ford 1938 — Finnie’s Club in Chicago begins yearly
1870 — First American mention of a Halloween Halloween masquerade ball for “Female Im-
party in Godey’s Lady’s Book personators”; National Magic Day on October
1876 — A New York Times article suggests Hal- 31st is instituted; Orson Welles airs “The War
loween’s “glory ... has departed” of the Worlds”
 215 Chronology of Halloween

1939 — Robert Bloch publishes “The Cloak”; one 1991— David Bertolino opens Spooky World
of the earliest mentions of “trick or treat” ap- 1993—Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christ-
pears in Doris Hudson Moss’s article “A Vic- mas is released
tim of the Window-Soaping Brigade?” 1995 — Stuart Schneider’s Halloween in America:
1942 — Chicago tries to abolish Halloween be- A Collector’s Guide is published
cause of destructive pranking 1996 — Mexican clerics try to ban Halloween;
1944 —Arsenic and Old Lace and Meet Me in St. Nova Scotia ends Halloween “Mardi Gras” cel-
Louis become the first two major feature films ebrations; boom in U.S. Halloween retailing
to include Halloween scenes puts holiday second only to Christmas, with
1950 — Children first trick or treat for UNICEF; $2.5 billion spent
trick or treat is now widespread throughout U.S. 1997 —“The World’s First Pumpkin Regatta” is
1951— Modern Wicca begins held in New York; Mattel introduces annual
1952 — Disney releases the Donald Duck Hal- Halloween Barbie doll
loween cartoon “Trick or Treat” 1998 — The first of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter
1955 — All Saints’ Day octave (eight day obser- books is released
vance) is suppressed by the Catholic Church 1999 —17-year old Brandon Ketsdever is shot in
1962 — Bobby “Boris” Pickett releases “Monster Buena Park, California, for trying to steal a
Mash” plastic Halloween pumpkin decoration; head-
1964 — First recorded incident of tampering with stones are defaced in a Jewish cemetery in Mil-
trick or treat candy on Halloween ford, Connecticut, on Halloween; International
1966 —It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown de- Association of Haunted Attractions (IAHA)
buts forms; annual Windsor Pumpkin Regatta in
1967 — First record of the “razor-blade-in-the- Nova Scotia begins
apple” urban legend 2000—Justin Rudd’s “Haute Dog Howl’oween Pa-
1968 — Campus massacre urban legends set on rade” for pets begins in Long Beach, California
Halloween begin circulating 2001— In the wake of 9/11 terrorist attacks, a new
1969 —“Dies Irae” is no longer obligatory for All urban legend circulates, warning people not to
Souls’ Day masses; Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en go to malls on Halloween; 185 students arrested
Party is published after staging fake lynchings at Halloween party;
1971— Mexican government begins to promote Halloween retailing tops $6 billion; Disneyland
Days of the Dead to tourists starts seasonal transformation of “Haunted
1972 — Ray Bradbury publishes The Halloween Mansion” ride into a Nightmare Before Christ-
Tree mas attraction
1973 — Ralph Lee starts Greenwich Village Hal- 2002 — George Ratliff ’s documentary Hell House
loween parade; Knott’s Berry Farm starts an- is released
nual “Knott’s Scary Farm” haunted attraction 2005 — Pamela Apkarian-Russell opens Castle
1976 —“The Paul Lynde Halloween Special” airs Halloween Museum
1977 —Star Wars is released, creating more adult 2006 — Norman Partridge’s Dark Harvest is pub-
interest in Halloween costuming lished
1979 — John Carpenter’s Halloween is released 2007 — Rob Zombie releases “reboot” of John
1981— Nova Scotia begins its Halloween “Mardi Carpenter’s Halloween
Gras” celebrations 2008 — Michael Dougherty’s Trick ’R’ Treat is re-
1982 — Steven Spielberg’s E.T. is released leased; urban legend circulates on internet
1983 — The seasonal Spirit Halloween stores first claiming local gangs will commit murders on
appear Halloween night
1984 — Pamela Apkarian-Russell begins publish- 2009 — Police in New Jersey issue warnings and
ing Trick or Treat Trader curfews on night before Halloween; Guinness
1988 — Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta is published Book of World Records awards the title of
1989 — Outbreaks of violence reported on Hal- “Largest Walk-Through Horror House” to Cut-
loween in New York and in Boulder, Colorado’s ting Edge in Fort Worth; Halloween attraction
“Mall Crawl”; in New York, a group of cos- industry grosses over $1 billion; Halloween re-
tumed youths attack a homeless camp while tail spending declines slightly because of re-
shouting “trick or treat” cession
1990 — Lesley Bannatyne’s book Halloween: An 2010—Chris Stevens of New Richmond, Wiscon-
American Holiday, An American History is pub- sin, grows the largest pumpkin on record
lished (1,810.5 lbs.)
 Appendix II
Halloween in Literature
and the Arts

The list below represents some of the short make considerable use of these customs (includ-
stories, novels, poems, films, television shows, ing the burning of nuts), and one of the most fre-
comic books and songs that have either used Hal- quently-quoted works in non-fiction books about
loween or have become important in the celebra- Halloween.
tion of Halloween (or related holidays like Guy “Hallowe’en” (1785) by Robert Burns— Pos-
Fawkes Day/Night). It is by no means a compre- sibly the single most influential work on Hallo-
hensive list (children’s Halloween books alone ween ever written, Burns’s long poem describes
could fill up most of a book), nor is it intended to an eighteenth-century Scottish Halloween cele-
be a serious critical overview. It merely provides bration in detail (including many different for-
a brief look at how Halloween has been used by tune-telling customs), and is often cited in stud-
writers and other artists, and how these works in ies of both folklore and Halloween. Written in
turn have affected the ways in which we celebrate Scottish dialect, the poem describes a group of
Halloween. The list is presented in chronological young people who engage in divination practices
order. involving nuts, hemp seed, corn (oats), apples
“Tamlane” (1548)—“Tamlane,” a Scottish and barley; most of the attempts at learning about
poem which tells of a young fairy prince and the future spouses end in unexpected and amusing
brave woman who rescues him on Halloween ways. The poem depicts a Halloween celebration
night, is possibly the oldest surviving mention of that is simultaneously mysterious, bawdy and
Halloween in any work of fiction or poetry. It first frantic, and it remains a key source in our un-
appeared in 1548’s Complaynt of Scotland, and has derstanding of the history of the holiday.
been adapted dozens of times since, most fa- “Tam O’Shanter” (1790) by Robert Burns—
mously by Sir Walter Scott for his 1802 collection This poem tells the story of Tam O’Shanter, “That
Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. frae November till October,/Ae market-day thou
“Flyting Against Polwart” (1584) by Alex- was na sober.” One night the drunken Tam sets off
ander Montgomerie — More properly entitled for home in a dreadful storm; upon finding him-
“Montgomeries Answere to Polwart,” this Scottish self near the haunted area of Kirk-Alloway, he
poem (which is actually a playful attack on one stumbles across a witches’ revel, presided over by
of Montgomerie’s contemporaries) includes a fre- “Auld Nick” himself. Tam’s presence is unnoticed
quently quoted description of Halloween as the until he makes the mistake of shouting out a com-
night “when our good neighbors do ride” (the pliment to the dancing, and the festivities cease
poem includes lengthy descriptions of fairies and instantly. Tam finds himself now the prey in a di-
other creatures). abolical hunt, and his faithful (and sober) steed
The Shepherd’s Week (1714) by John Gay — Maggie heads for a nearby bridge, since the fiends
Gay’s “mock pastoral” includes “Thursday, or the cannot cross running water. The lead witch is
Spell,” a section recording various forms of love so close behind them that she grabs hold of Mag-
divination; it is both the earliest work of art to gie’s tail, and pulls it out completely as Maggie

216
 217 Literature and the Arts

makes it over the bridge.

“Tam O’Shanter” makes no
direct reference to Halloween
(although in the line men-
tioned above it does seem to
indicate that the new year be-
gins on November 1), but its
use of witches, the devil and
a spooky ride have made it a
Halloween favorite for gener-
ations.
“Bothwell’s Bonny Jane”
(1801) by Matthew G. Lewis—
Lewis, the author of the
Gothic classic The Monk,
penned this imitation of a tra-
ditional ballad while residing
at Bothwell Castle in Scot-
land. The poem tells of a
young maiden, Jane, who is
found sobbing by a monk
after she’s promised in mar- This metal tobacco tin shows Tam O’Shanter riding furiously to
riage to Lord Malcolm. She escape the witches (lower right).
confesses to the monk that
she’s in love with a young peasant, and the monk supposedly haunts the area — Ichabod is appar-
agrees to help her elope with the young man. On ently spurned and rides home, dejected. Making
Halloween, the monk takes her to the river Clyde, his way through the dark night, Ichabod remem-
then reveals that he is in love with her himself. bers the ghost stories at the party, and encounters
Holding a knife to her neck, he forces her into a the Headless Horseman, who begins to pursue
boat, but a storm arises and the ferryman tells the him. The frightening chase ends when the spec-
monk he must either throw Jane overboard or risk tre apparently hurls its head at Ichabod, but all
sinking with the boat. The monk does as in- that is found the next morning is a shattered
structed, and the ferryman is revealed to be a ter- pumpkin. Ichabod is never seen in Sleepy Hol-
rible demon that drags the monk down. Now, on low again, and Brom Bones, who marries Katrina
every Halloween, legends say “that still the ferry- after Ichabod’s disappearance, is “observed to
man-fiend is seen/To waft the monk and bonny look exceedingly knowing whenever the story of
Jane.” The poem originally appears in Lewis’s col- Ichabod was related.” The story has been filmed
lection Tales of Wonder, and has been reprinted several times, most famously by Disney in 1949,
numerous times since. and by Tim Burton (under the title Sleepy Hol-
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1820) by low) in 1999.
Washington Irving — Perhaps the most popular “Rip Van Winkle” (1820) by Washington
Halloween story of all time, “Sleepy Hollow” con- Irving — Set, like Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy
tains no direct reference to the holiday, but nev- Hollow,” in a small Dutch enclave near the Hud-
ertheless captures both the pastoral and macabre son River, this classic tale tells the story of hen-
sides of the season. It tells the story of Ichabod pecked Rip Van Winkle, who, on “a fine autum-
Crane, a gangly schoolteacher with a fondness for nal day” (a favorite phrase of Irving’s) sets out
Cotton Mather’s History of New England Witch- hunting with his trusty dog Wolf. Rip climbs high
craft, who comes to the little Dutch American into the Catskill Mountains, and meets a man
town of Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod falls for the lovely who calls him by name to help lug a heavy keg of
young Katrina Van Tassel, but his rival for her af- liquor. Rip follows the man into a mountain glade
fections is the handsome, boisterous Brom Van where he encounters an astonishing group of folks
Brunt, nicknamed “Brom Bones.” Kristina’s fa- dressed in archaic clothing, playing games. Rip is
ther holds a party one “fine, autumnal day,” when ordered to serve these strange beings, but can’t re-
Ichabod dreams of wooing Katrina; but after a sist sampling their liquor. He soon falls into a
night of ghost stories— many about the Headless heavy sleep, and awakens to discover that his dog
Horseman, the ghost of a Hessian soldier who has vanished, his gun decayed, and his beard
Appendix II 218

grown over a foot. He returns to his house, but it work to bear the title “Halloween” (with no apos-
seems to have been abandoned long ago; he heads trophe).
for the nearby village, but discovers that it, too, has “The Black Cat” (1843) by Edgar Allan
changed. He finally realizes that he has slept for Poe— Although “The Black Cat” contains no ob-
20 years, during which time his wife has died and vious reference to Halloween, its continuing pop-
his children grown. A few of the villagers whisper ularity as a seasonal tale is due, of course, to its use
stories of the long-dead explorer Hendrick Hud- of one of Halloween’s classic symbols, the black
son, who, along with his crew, supposedly haunts cat. It tells the story of a man who begins life as an
the mountains, appearing once every 20 years. animal lover, who dotes especially on his black
Like “Sleepy Hollow,” “Rip Van Winkle” never cat Pluto (even though his wife “made frequent al-
directly mentions Halloween (which was prob- lusion to the ancient popular notion which re-
ably still largely unknown in America when the garded all black cats as witches in disguise”). Un-
story was written), but it has remained a Hal- fortunately he becomes an alcoholic, and turns
loween favorite. his increasingly evil temper on his cat, first goug-
“Young Goodman Browne” (1835) by Na- ing out one of its eyes, then finally hanging it.
thaniel Hawthorne — Undoubtedly the most fa- Later, experiencing both guilt and grief, he takes
mous supernatural tale of early American witch- in another black cat, but soon comes to loathe it.
craft ever written, this Halloween favorite tells of One day he tries to destroy the cat with an axe,
Young Goodman Brown of Salem, who one night but when his wife tries to stay his hand he mur-
leaves Faith, his wife of three months, on a mys- ders her instead. Since the murder has been com-
terious nocturnal errand. In the deeps of the for- mitted in the cellar, he decides to wall his wife’s
est he meets an older man, who is revealed to be body up behind the recently-plastered walls, and
the devil in disguise. As Goodman Brown plans to for a few days he seems to have eluded detection.
return to his wife and his sanctity, he discovers But during the last police visit to the cellar, in his
that many of his apparently–Christian neighbors arrogance he raps on the very wall behind which
and authorities are already in league with the dark rests the corpse, and a horrible shriek is heard.
forces; Brown’s own will crumbles when he hears The police knock down the wall to discover the
his wife being carried away by the worshippers of decaying corpse of his murdered wife — with the
evil. He follows the voices to a witches’ gather- black cat perched on her head, wailing its fury at
ing, where the devil delivers a sermon which con- having been walled up in the makeshift tomb.
cludes with the pronouncement that “Evil is the The Return of the Native (1878) by Thomas
nature of mankind.” Just as the devil is about to Hardy — Hardy’s classic includes one of the earli-
baptize the unfortunate young newlyweds, Good- est descriptions of a provincial Guy Fawkes cele-
man Brown calls upon God, and instantly the bration, and also explores the meaning of bon-
congregation vanishes. Brown returns to his vil- fires, and the wild, pagan joy they seem to
lage, but can’t stand the sight of the villagers, even produce.
though he knows the entire witch gathering may “Ken’s Mystery” (1883) by Julian Haw-
have been nothing but a dream he had while thorne— Julian was the son of Nathaniel, and was
sleeping in the forest. He spends the rest of his also a writer, who never lived up to his father’s
life despising the company of both neighbor and legacy (and who unfortunately wound up in
wife. fraudulent schemes which damaged his reputa-
“Halloween” (1842) by Arthur Cleveland tion and earned him a year in the Atlanta peni-
Coxe — Coxe was an Episcopal bishop who was tentiary). “Ken’s Mystery,” however, is consid-
most well-known for his collection Christian Bal- ered a minor classic in the canon of vampire
lads, first published in 1840 and reprinted nu- literature, as it combines Irish lore, vampires, and
merous times since. He first published his lengthy Halloween.
poem “Halloween” privately in 1842, but in 1845 Cuchulain of Muirthemne: The Story of the
it was published by H. S. Parsons in a book titled Men of the Red Branch of Ulster (1902) and Gods
Halloween, A Romaunt, with Lays, Meditational and Fighting Men: The Story of the Tuatha de
and Devotional. Running 95 stanzas, the poem is Danaan and of the Fianna of Ireland (1904) both
largely a description of the glories of Heaven and by Lady Gregory — Isabella Augusta, Lady Greg-
Christ, although it does include a few lines that ory, was also a playwright and co-founder (with
paint a colorful picture of Halloween (“’Tis the William Butler Yeats) of the Irish Literary The-
night — the night/Of the grave’s delight/And the atre, but she’s most well-known now for her work
warlocks are at their play!”). The small volume is as folklorist. These two books comprise the most
interesting mainly for being the first book-length popular collection of Celtic mythological tales,
 219 Literature and the Arts

which probably originated from 800 B.C. to A.D. “Theme in Yellow” (1916) by Carl Sand-
500. Included here are a number of evocative tales burg — This brief poem set “on the last of Octo-
centering on Samhain, Halloween’s Celtic pre- ber” captures a child’s love of Halloween, without
cursor; the eeriest is the story of Nera, a warrior ever using the name itself. It describes how the
who goes forth on Samhain, and first encounters color yellow appears throughout America at this
a talking corpse before following a fairy army time of year, in cornfields and in pumpkins, and
through the Hill of Cruachan and into the fairy it ends with the lines:
world.
I am a jack-o’-lantern
“Halloween Night at the Seminary” (1904)—
With terrible teeth
Produced by the Edison Manufacturing Company
And the children know
in 1904, this short (featuring cinematography by
I am fooling.
the legendary Edwin S. Porter) may be the first
appearance of Halloween on film. A bum inter- “The Very Old Folk” (1927) by H. P. Love-
rupts a group of young ladies trying various Hal- craft — Lovecraft, the most famous American
loween divination rituals, including descending horror writer of the first half of the 20th century,
the stairs backwards; one of the girls mistakes the is most well-known for his cycle of “Cthulhu
tramp for her future husband, then he’s thrown Mythos” stories, but he also penned this, surely
out when she realizes her mistake. The girls con- one of the strangest Halloween stories ever writ-
tinue their Halloween hijinks, bobbing for apples ten. Told in the form of a dream Lovecraft him-
and finding a ring in a plate of flour, but when self had on Halloween night, the story is a period
they’re interrupted by a young man, they push piece set in a distant province of the Roman em-
him into the bobbing tub and pour the flour on pire on the “Kalends of November.” When a
him. This was the first of a number of Halloween nearby barbarian tribe called the Miri Nigri begin
shorts produced during the silent film era, and a strange ceremony as the eve approaches, the Ro-
was followed a year later by American Mutoscope mans lead a military expedition into the hills to
and Biograph’s “Halloween,” shot by G. W. “Billy” stop them, and instead fall prey to terrible an-
Bitzer. cient gods called up to wreak vengeance.
“Hallowe’en” (1908) by Corporal Charles “Toby the Pup in Halloween” (1931)— Pro-
Frederick White — White was an African-Amer- duced by Charles Mintz, this is probably the first
ican poet and soldier who served with distinction animated short to feature Halloween. Toby the
in the Spanish-American War. His collection Plea Pup and his girlfriend are holding a Halloween
of the Negro Soldier and a Hundred Other Poems party, which is invaded by ghosts and goblins;
provides this poem, which is both an eloquent Toby saves the party by pretending to crow like a
description of an early 20th-century Halloween rooster, sending all the spooks running from what
celebration (centering on pranking boys), and a they think is approaching daylight. Two years
rare look at the holiday from the point-of-view later, “Betty Boop’s Hallowe’en Party” (directed by
of an African-American writer. Dave Fleischer) offered virtually the same plot —
“Clay” from Dubliners (1914) by James Betty’s Halloween party is crashed by Halloween
Joyce — In this short story, we celebrate an urban spirits— but included even more Halloween im-
Irish Halloween with Maria, “a very, very small agery, with scarecrows, corn fields, jack-o’-
person” who works in a laundry. After sharing tea lanterns, Halloween decorations, bobbing for ap-
and barmbrack with her co-workers (who tell her ples, and snap apple.
every year that she’ll get the ring, even though she All Souls’ Night (1933) by Hugh Walpole —
never does), Maria sets off for a Halloween party, Walpole, a well-regarded 20th-century novelist
stopping on the way to buy some cakes (since descended from Horace Walpole, whose 1764
“they would be sure to have plenty of apples and classic The Castle of Otranto gave birth to Gothic
nuts”). The party is full of games and children, literature, wrote what is now generally regarded as
nuts and port wine; at one point a variation of the first Halloween-themed story collection. The
the luggie bowls are set out, including a saucer 16 stories in All Souls’ Night make little specific
holding a prayer-book. Maria is blindfolded and mention of the holiday, but all utilize some Hal-
led to the saucers, but she touches clay, and one of loween-themed element, whether it’s autumn
the adults present is angry at the children for weather, saints, or ghosts. The story “The Oldest
putting that saucer out. When Maria is told to try Talland,” about witches, is probably the most
again, she finds the prayer-book. The party ends well-known story from the collection.
when Maria sings a song, which causes her friend “All Souls’” (1937) by Edith Wharton — Al-
and host Joe to cry. though known mainly as the author of such clas-
Appendix II 220

sic American novels as Ethan Frome and The blood of the rich partygoers. As usual with Bloch,
House of Merriment, Wharton was also a gifted the story has a twist ending. Bloch mocks the cos-
creator of ghost stories, including this one, which tume choices of the wealthy, noting that “most
is regarded as one of her finest. “All Souls’” is people at costume parties gave vent to suppressed
about an isolated Connecticut house called desires.” The story has been reprinted numerous
Whitegates, and the house’s widowed mistress, times, most recently in the collection The Early
Sara Clayburn. On one particular All Souls’ Eve, Fears.
Sara encounters a strange woman approaching Hallowe’en (1941) by Leslie Burgess— Bor-
the house, and the next morning awakens to find rowing liberally from Daphne du Maurier’s 1938
the house mysteriously deserted by the five ser- classic Rebecca, this Gothic novel tells of a young
vants who work there. Eventually Sara ties the bride, Claire, who is taken to live in her husband’s
mysterious visitor in with Agnes, an aging ser- remote Scottish castle; the castle was supposedly
vant originally from the Hebrides, and realizes the once the site of a great fight on Halloween, and
staff has fallen prey to dreadful superstition. the novel’s plot builds to a tense climax in the cas-
Wharton also wrote a poem entitled “All Souls,’” tle on Halloween night. The book is chiefly in-
which is a lovely and moody seven-stanza de- teresting for being the earliest novel to both cen-
scription of the evening (Wharton uses “All Souls” ter its action on Halloween and to refer to the
instead of “All Hallows,” although she plainly holiday in its title; it also includes some quaint
refers to the “last day of October”). passages in which the hero’s mother reminisces
“The War of the Worlds”— Originally aired about Halloween celebrations of her youth (“’I
on October 30, 1938, this notorious Halloween mind when I was young, the village ladies used
prank begins with a famous line delivered by to come to the houses begging for the fire. ‘Gi’e’s
Orson Welles: “We now know that in the early a peat tae burn the witches,’ they used to say.’”).
years of the twentieth century this world was Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)— Frank Capra’s
being watched closely by intelligences greater than film adaptation of Joseph Kesselring’s comedic
man’s and yet as mortal as his own.” What fol- Broadway megahit moves the play’s setting from
lows over the next hour is a series of clever news September to Halloween, and in the process
bulletins documenting the arrival of a meteorite Capra created one of the most beloved Halloween
in rural Grovers Mill, New Jersey; soon the “me- family films. Arsenic and Old Lace opens with
teorite” opens and reveals a monstrous Martian credits over Halloween graphics, and a card up-
which kills the onlookers with a heat ray. Within front confirms that the date is Halloween. We
moments the monster has wiped out nearly 7,000 soon meet Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant), a
soldiers and is laying waste to the eastern sea- famed bachelor who is marrying his longtime
board; soon more Martian “tripods” are spotted, sweetheart Elaine (Priscilla Lane). Unfortunately,
and major cities are being evacuated. After the Mortimer’s honeymoon plans go awry when he
hero, Professor Pierson, meets another survivor discovers that his two sweet, dotty old aunts are
who wants to steal the Martian technology to serial killers, and his criminally insane brother
make himself an emperor, he returns to the streets (Raymond Massey) has just returned home to
of New York where he finds that the Martians are hide out with his sidekick Dr. Einstein (Peter
all dead, felled by simple earth bacteria. Presented Lorre) in tow. The films includes one interesting
by Welles, co-producer John Houseman and pre–trick-or-treat scene, as the two elderly aunts
Welles’s renowned Mercury Theatre, this live hand out goodies (including an entire jack-o’-
broadcast created a panic, as millions around the lantern) to costumed children, who beg but never
country took it for actual reports of an alien in- actually say “trick or treat.” The film preceded the
vasion, despite an introduction and commercial release of Meet Me in St. Louis by approximately
breaks. The broadcast concluded with Welles re- two months, so it stands as the first feature-length
minding his listeners that “it’s Halloween.” motion picture to put Halloween on prominent
“The Cloak” (1939) by Robert Bloch — This display.
classic vampire tale is generally regarded as one Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)—Vincente Min-
of the first important works of short horror fic- nelli’s idealized musical about the Smith family
tion dealing with Halloween. A man, Henderson, in 1903 America, based on the novel by Sally Ben-
goes to a mysterious costume shop on Halloween son, features a long section set during Halloween.
and purchases a vampire’s cloak—and in this case The two younger girls Tootie and Agnes blacken
clothes make the man (or the vampire), as Hen- their faces with a charred marshmallow and head
derson strides into an upper-crust costume party out costumed as ghosts to play pranks—they ring
and finds he has an insatiable desire to sip the doorbells and throw flour in the faces of the adults
 221 Literature and the Arts

who answer. The two girls meet a costumed gang

of kids creating a bonfire out of stolen gates and
carts. Adventurous five-year-old Tootie (played by
Margaret O’Brien) takes on the job of pranking on
the sinister Braukoffs, and after she completes the
daring prank, she is finally allowed to participate
in adding fuel to the bonfire. Later, when the
Smith family hears Tootie screaming, they at first
fear she has been hit by a streetcar, but it turns
out Tootie’s cut lip is due to a prank she played
when she and sister Agnes placed a fake body on
the trolley tracks. Although Meet Me in St. Louis
is chiefly remembered for its performance by a
young Judy Garland, it is also one of the earliest
depictions of Halloween featured in a major Hol-
lywood film.
All Hallows’ Eve (1945) by Charles Wil-
liams— Considered the best of the early novels to
center on Halloween, Williams’s dark fantasy fo-
cuses on a group of Londoners surrounding
“Simon the Clerk,” a mage. Events build to the
title evening, encountering along the way ghosts,
magical rituals, and strange creatures. Williams
was a member of the legendary group the
Inklings, which also included J. R. R. Tolkien (The
Lord of the Rings) and C. S. Lewis (The Chronicles
of Narnia); unlike those two writers, Williams
wrote entirely for adults, and he remains highly re-
garded among scholars of the fantasy genre.
“The October Game”(1948) by Ray Brad-
bury — A dissatisfied husband oversees a Hal- Bela Lugosi in the title role of Universal’s
loween party in the basement, where the lights Dracula
are turned off and various “body parts” are passed
hand-to-hand in the dark. Toward the end of the the Universal films makes real use of Halloween,
game, the man’s wife guesses the truth: that he the films swiftly became holiday favorites, and
has murdered their young daughter in an ultimate over the next decade, Halloween gained new pop-
act of cruelty to the wife. The story ends with the ularity thanks in no small part to the rediscovery
line: “Then ... some idiot turned on the lights.” of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, The
“The October Game” is probably the most fa- Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Mummy, and
mous—and genuinely horrific—Halloween short the multitude of sequels, spinoffs and lesser crea-
story to deal specifically with the holiday. tures. Universal horror movie masks became best-
“Trick or Treat” (1952)— It was a clear sign sellers at Halloween, and the trick or treat expe-
that trick or treat was here to stay when Disney rience often included a horror movie at the end of
based this popular Donald Duck cartoon around the night. “Monster Culture” also led to the pop-
it. Directed by Jack Hannah, the short features ularity of the horror-show host, and characters
Donald playing tricks on his three trick-or-treat- such as Zacherley, Ghoulardi, Vampira, and,
ing nephews, until a witch helps the boys out by finally, Elvira, generated their own Halloween
placing Donald under various spells. costumes and merchandise. “Monster Culture”
“Shock Theater” (1958)— In 1958 Universal also heavily influenced Halloween haunted
packaged 52 of its classic (and some not-so-clas- houses, with many haunters such as Cortlandt B.
sic) horror films under this umbrella title, and re- Hull providing Halloween exhibits which
leased the package to television stations across the painstakingly recreated scenes from the Univer-
country. That same year saw the publication of sal horror films.
the first issue of the magazine Famous Monsters “Monster Mash” (1962) by Bobby “Boris”
of Filmland, and what author David J. Skal calls Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers—This novelty song
“Monster Culture” was born. Although none of can almost be described as the official Halloween
Appendix II 222

anthem (or perhaps the “Jingle Bells” of Hal- both Halloween and trick or treat (“you’d be a
loween). The song describes a party featuring natural,” Kirk quips to the pointy-eared Vulcan
Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, and other Spock), the Enterprise crew realizes that Sylvia and
creatures of the night, all delivered in a Boris Korob have created all this from the human sub-
Karloff impression that Pickett first used to win conscious, in the mistaken belief that their visitors
first prize in a Massachusetts talent contest (where would find it comforting. When Sylvia turns on
he performed the song “Little Darlin’” in the both the humans and Korob, she forces the Cap-
inimitable Karloff tones). After the record was tain to destroy the device that has given the aliens
turned down by four major labels, producer Gary their powers of illusion, and in the end she and
Paxton had it privately pressed and hand-deliv- Korob are revealed to be two tiny, dying, very
ered the single to radio stations all over Califor- alien lifeforms. Despite an obviously limited tele-
nia. The song was number one in the Billboard vision budget, Bloch and director Joseph Pevney
charts for two weeks in October 1962, and 40 manage to combine distinctly opposite themes
years later is still played on radio stations all over and iconography — horror and science fiction,
the country every Halloween. The song was once Halloween and the distant future, rayguns and
performed by Karloff himself, on the television magic wands—to create a unique blend of genres.
show Shindig. Hallowe’en Party (1969) by Agatha Chris-
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown tie — Featuring Christie’s beloved detective Her-
(1966)— This animated perennial holiday favorite cule Poirot, this novel uses Halloween as a key el-
was the second Peanuts animated holiday special ement in a classic “who-dunnit” mystery plot.
(following 1965’s A Charlie Brown Christmas), During preparations for a Halloween party just
and remains popular nearly 40 years later. Writ- outside of London, a teenaged girl claims to have
ten by Charles M. Schulz and directed by Bill Me- once witnessed a murder; later she is found
lendez, Great Pumpkin is about Linus’s belief that drowned in the galvanized tub used in bobbing
Halloween has its own Santa Claus, a mythical for apples, and mystery writer Ariadne Oliver goes
character called the Great Pumpkin, who rises to her friend Hercule Poirot to help solve the
each Halloween out of the pumpkin patch he murder. Christie describes a classic English Hal-
thinks is “most sincere,” and flies through the loween party: Aside from the deadly bobbing for
night delivering toys to good children. While the apples, there is a decorating competition (involv-
other kids are out trick or treating (during which ing miniature broomsticks), fortune-telling with
Charlie Brown, in a badly made ghost costume, mirrors for the girls (while the boys, some in dis-
gets nothing but a bag of rocks), Linus and Char- guise, sneak into the reflections!), and snapdragon
lie Brown’s sister Sally wait in the pumpkin patch, (which one character describes as being “really
but the only thing to appear is Snoopy, who is pre- more a Christmas festivity”). The novel also con-
tending to be a World War I flying ace working tains an apple motif: The house wherein the mur-
his way through the trenches. In the end, Linus is der occurs is called “Apple Trees,” and Poirot al-
undeterred and already planning his next year’s ways associates apples with his friend Mrs. Oliver.
vigil in the pumpkin patch. The special also The Ballad of Tam Lin (1971)—Based loosely
spawned a very successful tie-in book, first pub- on the classic Scottish Halloween ballad, this was
lished in 1967 and still in print (in a “35th An- the only film directed (very stylishly) by actor
niversary” edition). Roddy McDowell. The milieu is moved to the
Star Trek, “Catspaw” (aired October 26, “swinging ’60s,” with Ava Gardner as Michaela
1967)— This episode of the original Star Trek se- Cazaret, an imposing and fabulously wealthy
ries has the distinction of being the most well- woman who vies for the affections of Tom Lynn
known example of Halloween playing a major (Ian McShane) with the young Janet (Stephanie
part in a work of science fiction with a futuristic Beacham). Although the film omits any mention
setting (which precludes E.T.). Scripted by the re- of Halloween (or fairies), it does include the bal-
markable Robert Bloch (whose Halloween cred- lad’s animal transformations in the grand finale
its alone span nearly 30 years), the story concerns (now a by-product of an hallucinogenic drug).
a routine visit to a mysterious planet which goes The Halloween Tree (1972) by Ray Brad-
horribly wrong when a crewman turns up dead. bury — Bradbury’s book is less a novel and more
Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy follow an extended valentine to his favorite holiday, Hal-
the trail from the dead man to a planet of witches, loween. A group of small-town American boys is
black cats, castles, magicians and skeletons, all costumed and ready to trick or treat, but when
controlled by two mysterious aliens named Sylvia their friend and leader Pipkin is mysteriously ab-
and Korob. After comparing their surroundings to sent, they find themselves at the center of a grand
 223 Literature and the Arts

adventure to track down their missing friend. synched) performances. The show begins with a
Their journey begins at the town’s haunted house, tribute to trick or treat, and includes witches, out-
which now sports a tree full of glowing pump- rageous costumes, neon pumpkins, and other
kins—a Halloween tree—and a whimsical owner Halloween imagery that are rendered as kitsch
named Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud. When and have contributed to the special’s status as a
Moundshroud discovers that the boys are igno- camp gem.
rant about the history of Halloween, he takes Halloween (1979)— John Carpenter and
them back into the past, where he shows them Debra Hill’s immensely successful independent
cavemen, ancient Egypt, Samhain, the Roman in- thriller began the slasher-movie cycle of the 1980s,
vasion of Britain, witches, Notre Dame, and Mex- and spawned a whole new classic holiday char-
ico’s Day of the Dead; all the while the boys chase acter: The Halloween maniac. The film opens in
Pipkin’s spirit. Finally at the end, the boys save 1963, with a prologue in which a small boy,
Pipkin and gain an understanding of Halloween dressed in his Halloween clown costume, knifes
in the process. In book form, Bradbury’s richly- his sister to death before being discovered by his
written story is accompanied by Joseph Mug- parents. Sixteen years later the boy, Michael
naini’s exquisite illustrations. The Halloween Tree Myers, is now an adult mental patient who es-
was also made into an animated television spe- capes the asylum where he is being held. His psy-
cial in 1993. chiatrist, Dr. Loomis, tries to convince authorities
The Exorcist (1973)— While the plot of Wil- that he believes Michael is headed back to his
liam Peter Blatty’s memorable tale of demonic hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, but they don’t
possession probably doesn’t even need to be de- believe that Michael — who hasn’t spoken in 15
scribed, what must be mentioned is director Wil- years— is dangerous. In Haddonfield, the town is
liam Friedkin’s inclusion of a nod to Halloween in gearing up for Halloween evening. Laurie Strode
his film version: In fact, the film opens (after the is a brainy, virginal teenager who will spend her
prologue set in Iraq) on Halloween, as we dis- night babysitting. As Laurie entertains her young
cover when the possessed child’s mother, actress charge with pumpkin-carving and horror movies,
Chris MacNeil (played by Ellen Burstyn), walks she is unaware that Michael Myers has already
home from her day on the set and passes several struck, murdering several of Laurie’s friends at
gleeful trick-or-treaters. Friedkin’s decision to in- the house across the street. The demented killer,
clude this reference is interesting on several wearing a cheap Halloween mask stolen from a
points: Most obviously, of course, it foreshadows local store, finally stalks Laurie throughout a two-
the evil events to come; but the scene also sets up story house; although Laurie is resourceful and
a false sense of momentary happiness (Chris manages to injure Michael, he seems unstoppable,
smiles to herself at the costumed, jack-o’-lantern- at least until Dr. Loomis appears and empties his
carrying children). The allusion also establishes gun into the killer. Although Loomis has saved
a psychological question regarding Chris’s own Laurie from Michael’s rage, the killer’s body —
child, Regan: Why isn’t she out with the other apparently shot dead by Dr. Loomis— is gone by
children? Although brief references to Halloween the movie’s ending, leaving Michael’s demise un-
occasionally appear in other horror films, they certain. In addition to single-handedly creating
usually take the form of jokes (i.e., Lamberto Bava an entire new sub-genre, that of the mad slasher
and Dario Argento’s 1985 Demons, in which a boy horror film, Halloween also made a star of Jamie
holds a cursed mask to his face and shouts out Lee Curtis, whose performance as Laurie Strode
“Trick or treat!”). The Exorcist remains unique in helps to elevate the film above the horde of imi-
its adroit use of a brief reference to the holiday. tators that were to come after it.
The Paul Lynde Halloween Special (1976)— Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)—
Until its 2007 DVD release, this comedic variety Certainly Halloween III ranks as one of the odd-
special was considered lost, although much est sequels of all-time, not only because of the
sought after by fans. Lynde — mostly known for often-surreal images and bizarre plot twists of the
his snide comebacks on the game show Hollywood movie itself, but also because it features none of
Squares— gets to sing, dance, and exchange jokes the characters or situations from the other films in
with guests Margaret Hamilton (for the first time the series (except as scenes glimpsed on back-
reprising her legendary performance as The ground televisions). The first Halloween em-
Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch), Billie Hayes ployed the standard iconography of modern
(“Witchie-poo” of the cult television series H.R. Halloween — pumpkins, costumes, haunted
Pufnstuf), and rock group KISS, making their net- houses— but this sequel attempts to examine the
work television debut here with three (lip- historical (Celtic) traditions behind the holiday.
Appendix II 224

liott, a suburban California

boy who befriends a lost
alien (whom he at first mis-
takes for a “goblin”). E.T.
spends his time under El-
liott’s care building a device
to communicate with his
home planet, which is put
into effect on Halloween
night (after trick or treating,
which strangely occurs in
broad daylight). Although
Spielberg at first uses Hal-
loween to create an atmos-
phere of fantasy (and, for the
baby boomers in his audi-
ence, nostalgia), traditional
Halloween symbols such as
jack-o’-lanterns later become
symbols of menace, as mys-
terious government agents
close in on the extra-ter-
restrial. Although Elliott’s
mother is dressed in cos-
tume, Spielberg clearly uses
Halloween’s popularity as a
children’s holiday, emphasiz-
ing his themes of the inno-
cence and trust of children.
The film even created a pop-
ular new Halloween candy in
“Reese’s pieces” (which El-
liott feeds to E.T.).
Halloween III: Season of the Witch Day of the Dead
(1985)— The third film in
Conal Cochran is an Irish-American business George Romero’s zombie series almost seems to
mogul whose company, Silver Shamrock, has be- knowingly riff on Night of the Living Dead’s sea-
come the leading manufacturer of Halloween sonal popularity by opening with a scene in which
masks. A small-town doctor whose patient has a woman lovingly gazes at a calendar opened to
been mysteriously murdered joins with the dead October and illustrated with a glowing photo of
man’s daughter to track down the secrets behind a pumpkin patch; we see by the date that it is Hal-
Silver Shamrock, and eventually they uncover the loween. Suddenly the woman’s reverie is cut short
truth: Cochran is actually an ancient Celt who has when the wall around the calendar erupts with
equipped each mask with a small chip off a block hands, and the woman awakens from her night-
from Stonehenge, and on Halloween night a tele- mare. She is Sarah, a member of an elite scientific
vision signal will activate the masks, killing mil- team attempting to halt the zombie holocaust that
lions of children in a huge Samhain sacrifice. The has now apparently destroyed the world. Sarah’s
film concludes with a montage of children trick or team is at odds with its own protectors, a group
treating throughout the United States and the of soldiers being whittled away by zombies and
suggestion that Cochran’s evil scheme will suc- desperation. As the tensions between the two
ceed. groups escalate, Sarah realizes that the scientists’
E.T. (1982)— There may be no greater testa- experiments— even those involving “Bub,” a
ment to Halloween’s popularity than the signi- thinking zombie—are destined for failure. When
ficant role the holiday plays in one of the most one soldier, maddened by injury, opens the pro-
successful films of all time. Stephen Spielberg’s tected complex to the zombies, Sarah and two
beloved science fiction fable tells the story of El- others just barely manage to escape. In the end,
 225 Literature and the Arts

Day of the Dead

Sarah has found apparent sanctuary on a tropi- beast, Vincent (Ron Perlman). Because of his dis-
cal island, and as she marks days off a calendar turbing appearance, Vincent lives in a secret com-
we see that it is now November 4, meaning that she munity deep beneath the streets of New York City,
and her two companions have survived both Hal- and rarely ventures topside. In this Halloween
loween and All Souls’ Day — or the Day of the episode, Vincent attends a Halloween party to
Dead. meet an author he admires; after some political
Trick or Treat (1986)— This uneven thriller intrigue, the episode ends with Catherine taking
and minor entry in Halloween cinematic history advantage of Halloween’s ability to render Vin-
is notable for one thing: It may be the only film to cent invisible, and showing him around New
exploit Halloween’s supposed Satanic side. Main York. The episode used Halloween as a vehicle for
character Eddie is an introverted young victim of tolerance and acceptance.
bully abuse who lives for heavy metal music. His V for Vendetta (1988)— This 10-issue comic
idol is Sammi Curr, a heavy metal rock singer book written by Alan Moore (with art by David
who dies in an apparent black-magic ritual near Lloyd) must be the only comic book to make con-
the film’s beginning. When a local DJ (played siderable use of Guy Fawkes and the holiday that
amusingly by Kiss lead singer Gene Simmons) bears his name. The story opens on November 5,
gives Eddie a copy of Sammi’s final recording, 1997 as a lone anarchist—who dresses in a Fawkes
Eddie takes it home, plays it backwards and res- costume — blows up the Houses of Parliament in
urrects the vengeful Sammi. Sammi’s goal is to his first offensive against the fascist regime rul-
unleash his powers to their fullest on Halloween ing this nightmarish version of Britain. Moore
night, and take vengeance on the school where he proposes a future (forward from 1988, remem-
was so often bullied as a child himself. The film ber) in which privacy, cultural diversity and art are
throws in a fundamentalist preacher who con- all things of the past; the anarchist has escaped
demns rock music (played by Ozzy Osbourne), from a concentration camp, intent on succeed-
but never seems to decide whether to become a ing where Guy Fawkes failed. Moore references
black comedy or a horror film (it is especially un- both the classic Guy Fawkes begging rhyme (for-
successful in the latter attempt, featuring — until gotten in this future), and the evening’s tradi-
the climax, that is— the lowest body count of any tional fireworks, which are wondrous to this Lon-
horror film made in the 1980s). don’s stifled citizens. The graphic novel series was
Beauty and the Beast, “Masques” (originally adapted into a 2006 feature film of the same
aired 10/30/1987)— This romantic fantasy televi- name, starring Hugo Weaving as “V” and Natalie
sion series involved a “beauty,” Catherine (Linda Portman as “Evey,” the young woman whom V
Hamilton), who falls in love with a noble, leonine attempts to mentor.
Appendix II 226

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)— The Crow (1994)— Based on a comic book
Tim Burton’s whimsical stop-motion animation series by James O’Barr, this stylish thriller by di-
rector Alex Proyas spawned sequels, a television
fantasy-musical is probably the greatest expres-
series and novels, and will also forever be re-
sion of love for a holiday (actually two holidays)
ever put on film. The film is rich in Halloween membered as the final film made by Bruce Lee’s
charismatic young son Brandon Lee (who died
imagery, yet manages to create its own new icon
for Halloween in Jack Skellington, the Pumpkinduring the filming as a result of an accident in-
King. The story begins in Halloween Town, as volving a supposedly-blank gun). However, the
film has a special standing within the history of
Jack (accompanied by his ghost dog Zero) broods
Halloween-related cinema for another reason: It
over being stuck in one holiday forever; even the
is the only major feature film (aside from its own
attentions of Sally, a strong-willed Frankenstein-
sequels) to focus on the October 30 tradition from
like heroine, can’t lift his spirits. Then, one day,
Jack stumbles on a doorway to Christmas, and Detroit of “Devil’s Night.” The story features a
gang of thugs who use “Devil’s Night” as a cover
instantly seizes on the idea of using the denizens
for their own nefarious activities, such as extor-
of Halloween Town to provide this year’s Christ-
tion, rape and murder. After they kill two young
mas. Of course Jack’s plan goes badly, and in the
people, Shelly Webster and Eric Draven (Lee),
end he realizes he is happy to lead the yearly Hal-
loween celebrations. With songs by Danny Elf- Draven’s spirit is brought back to earth exactly
man (formerly of the rock band Oingo Boingo), one year later by a crow. Draven resurrects, gifted
with supernatural ability, and sets out to exact re-
Nightmare features a supporting cast of mad sci-
entists, boogeymen, vampires, werewolves, ma- venge one-by-one on his killers. The film cap-
tures a completely unique (and utterly hellish)
niacs, trick or treaters and other assorted things
vision of a modern urban landscape, and because
that go bump in the night, all installed in the
gothic, skewed, headstone-laden realm of Hal- of its late–October setting, there are occasional
loween Town. The film not only became an in- glimpses of pumpkins, Halloween posters and
even a group of trick-or-treaters, all of which
stant cult favorite, it also provided a wealth of
new Halloween collectibles, and, beginning in Proyas seems to use knowingly to contrast the
more innocent traditions of Halloween with the
2001, even led to a Christmas redecoration of Dis-
neyland’s famed “Haunted Mansion” attraction. violent history of Devils’ Night.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
(1996–2003)—No other horror-
themed television series has
used Halloween as many times
as creator Joss Whedon’s highly-
praised series, or with such
unique inversions. Its first Hal-
loween episode was in its sec-
ond season: “Halloween” aired
on October 27, 1997, and estab-
lished the amusing idea that
Halloween is the one night out
of the year when vampiric and
demonic activity is quiet. When
Buffy and her friends get in-
ducted into assisting trick-or-
treaters on Halloween night,
little do they know that the cos-
tumes they have purchased are
cursed, with the end effect being
that they actually become the
characters they portray. Unfor-
tunately, Buffy has dressed as a
colonial maid, and is now a
shrinking violet with none of
her slayer abilities or powers,
The Nightmare Before Christmas (photograph by Joel Fletcher) leaving her small town of Sun-
 227 Literature and the Arts

nydale to be overrun by trans-

formed goblins and monsters.
Season Four featured the
episode “Fear, Itself,” in which a
haunted house set up by a local fra-
ternity really does become a
haunted house when the frat boys
inadvertently add a powerful occult
symbol to the decorations. The
haunting begins with a twist on the
classic Halloween game, when a
girl thrusts her hand into a bowl of
peeled grapes that are supposedly
eyeballs—only to discover that they
are really eyeballs. (This episode
also began with an amusing joke on
the practice of renting scary videos
for the night — Buffy’s friend Xan-
der is dismayed to find out that his
copy of Phantasm is actually Walt
Disney’s Fantasia.)
Season Six had “All the Way,”
in which Buffy’s younger sister
Dawn runs off on Halloween to en-
gage in pranking with some older
kids, but is caught by a sinister old
man named Kaltenbach. When
Kaltenbach is revealed to be noth-
ing but a lonely retired toymaker,
Dawn realizes the evil force is not
the old man but is instead her date
for the evening.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Bu›y the Vampire Slayer
Stone (1998) by J. K. Rowling —
This first volume in Rowling’s massively popular ist for the International Horror Guild award, and
series (which spawned six sequels, films, mer- has garnered a sizable following for its lyrical
chandising, and even an amusement park) not blend of young adult fantasy and Halloween
only introduced the world to the heroic young mythology. It follows ten-year-old “Dragonfly,”
Harry Potter and the secret world of wizards, but who’s been hearing strange sounds from the base-
also established Halloween as an important date ment of her uncle’s funeral home. On Halloween
in Harry’s world. Each Halloween, the wizarding night her uncle sends a friend, Mothkin, down
school of Hogwart’s gifts its students with a Hal- to the basement, and Dragonfly impulsively fol-
loween feast, which takes place in the Great Hall, lows. She finds an impossibly long stairway that
is also attended by ghosts, and features enchanted leads them to the secret underground world of
decorations (“A thousand live bats fluttered from Harvest Moon, where the sky is lit by a giant glow-
the walls and ceiling...”). The Harry Potter fran- ing jack-o’-lantern and the ruler is a tyrant named
chise has created an entire cottage industry of Samuel Hain. On her travels through Harvest
Halloween costumes and accessories (including Moon, Dragonfly encounters hordes of gypsy cats,
broomsticks, wands, and robes), and the Castle a village called Hallowe’en Town, vampires, and
Halloween Museum in West Virginia boasts a a kindly werewolf named Sylva.
large display of Harry Potter collectibles in addi- October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween
tion to its main focus of Halloween items. (2000) edited by Richard Chizmar and Robert
Dragonfly (1999) by Frederic S. Durbin — Morrish — This anthology of Halloween fact and
Originally published by Arkham House in a small fiction is probably the best collection ever offered
edition (4,000 copies), this novel has since been of actual Halloween-themed horror fiction; it is
reprinted in mass market paperback, was a final- nicely rounded out with Halloween memories
Appendix II 228

from horror authors (including Ray Bradbury), tities and tragic consequences. In the film’s epi-
“A Short History of Halloween” by Paula Guran, logue, Donnie’s demonic rabbit friend is revealed
Gary Braunbeck’s “‘First of All, It Was October...’: to actually have been a mask created by his sis-
An Overview of Halloween Films,” and Stefan ter’s boyfriend. The film uses Halloween to em-
Dziemianowicz’s “Trick-or-Read,” a compre- phasize weird occurrences and Donnie’s dark and
hensive overview of horror fiction covering Hal- dangerous state of mind.
loween. Included in this collection is the award- The Orangefield Cycle (2001–2009) by Al
winning short story, “Gone,” by Jack Ketchum, Sarrantonio— Sarrantonio is an American editor
in which a lonely woman and former pre-school and horror author who is perhaps best known for
teacher whose three-year old child has been miss- a series of Halloween-themed short stories and
ing for years tries to reconnect with her love of novels set in the fictitious east coast town of Or-
children by engaging in trick or treat giving, but angefield (so named because of its spectacular
the only three children who come to her door pumpkin crops). In the first Orangefield story,
offer a terrible message about her daughter’s “Hornets” (which originally appeared in the 2001
whereabouts before disappearing into the night. anthology Trick or Treat: A Collection of Hallo-
In the series of 30 “My Favorite Halloween Mem- ween Novellas), horror author Peter Kerlan writes
ory” pieces, several writers cite Halloween as hav- a bestselling children’s story called Sam Hain and
ing been a major influence on their eventual vo- the Halloween That Almost Wasn’t, while dealing
cation as horror writers. with the Halloween appearances of the fearsome
“Mr. Dark’s Carnival” (2000) by Glen Hir- Samhain, the Celtic Lord of Death. In 2002, Sar-
shberg — Originally published in the anthology rantonio extended the saga with the first novel,
Shadows and Silence and reprinted several times Orangefield, in which Samhain controls various
since (including in Hirshberg’s 2003 collection citizens in Orangefield and steers them towards
The Two Sams), this acclaimed and multiple an apocalyptic Halloween. Sarrantonio contin-
award-nominated novella explores the psychol- ued the cycle through the novels and stories Hal-
ogy and history of the Halloween haunted attrac- lows Eve (2004), The Pumpkin Boy (2005), The
tion. Set in a Montana city that celebrates Hal- Baby (2006), Halloweenland (2007), and “All
loween on a grand scale every year, the novella Souls Day” (2009). Sarrantonio also edited 2010’s
tells of a legendary haunted house that may or anthology Halloween: New Poems.
may not be urban folklore. When college profes- Hell House (2002)— George Ratliff ’s award-
sor David Roemer receives a flyer with directions winning documentary focuses on the design, con-
to Mr. Dark’s Carnival, he and his girlfriend Kate struction, and operation of a “hell house,” or
follow the trail to a bleak location on the snowy Christian haunted house, in Cedar Hill, Texas.
Montana plains, where they are divided and led The film not only follows the lives of various
into a haunted house that combines traditional members of the evangelical church producing the
haunting techniques with strangely mundane im- attraction, but it also provides the only in-depth
ages, suggestions of carnage, and pieces of local look at a “Hell House” available anywhere. Ratliff
history (especially those centering on the notori- presents a largely unbiased point of view as he
ous 19th century judge/executioner Albert Dark). shows scenes from the Hell House horrifically de-
The novella also mentions trick or treat, Hal- picting date rape, AIDS, abortion, and of course
loween parties, and a home yard haunt that em- Hell.
ploys live spiders and cockroaches. I Luv Halloween (2005–2008) by Keith Gif-
Donnie Darko (2001)— Richard Kelly’s fen (writing) and Benjamin Roman (art)— This
quirky drama about a boy with serious psycho- graphic novel series originally appeared as three
logical problems takes place in October and in- separate black and white volumes, then was col-
cludes a countdown to October 30, the day when orized and collected into a single “Ultimate
Donnie believes the world will end. Donnie, who Twisted Edition” in 2008. Offering up what must
is in therapy, refuses his heavy prescription drugs be the most irreverent look at Halloween on
and experiences visions of a demonic rabbit who record, the series follows the adventures of a
exhorts him to various criminal acts, both petty group of trick-or-treating boys, with each vol-
and serious (arson). Donnie becomes obsessed ume offering a different twist: In volume 1, leader
with an archaic theory of time travel, which he Finch’s little sister Moochie endangers his trick-
knows will somehow intersect with an airplane or-treating by creating havoc throughout the
crash that has already occurred. The film’s climax town; in the second volume, Halloween occurs
takes place on October 30, at a Halloween party during a zombie outbreak; and in the final vol-
when costumes and masks lead to mistaken iden- ume, the kids contend with an alien invasion dur-
 229 Literature and the Arts

ing Halloween. Publishers Weekly

reviewed the series favorably, not-
ing: “Full of ghoulish tricks, I Luv
Halloween is a seasonal treat that
the not easily offended will thor-
oughly enjoy.”
Dark Harvest (2006) by Nor-
man Partridge—This award-win-
ning short novel was originally
published in a limited edition by
Cemetery Dance and later pub-
lished in paperback by Tor, and
was named one of Publisher’s
Weekly “100 Best Books of 2006.”
Set in a small town in 1963, it fol-
lows the October Boy, a pumpkin-
headed living legend, as he is
hunted by the town’s young men;
the winner gets a ticket out of
town ... or so the boys are told.
Partridge’s acclaimed book (which
won the Bram Stoker Award and
was a finalist for the World Fan-
tasy Award) is rich in Halloween
iconography but also dissects the
American dream and the myth of
the small town.
Halloween (2007)— Film-
maker/musician Rob Zombie “re-
booted” the Halloween franchise
with this remake of Carpenter’s
classic. Zombie, who wrote and
directed, extended the original’s
story by focusing more on killer
Michael Myers’ childhood, show-
ing the boy as the product of a
stripper mother and abusive step-
father. Zombie retained most of
the plot and Halloween imagery of Cover of Al Sarrantonio’s 2009 “Orangefield” book Hal-
the original film, and (in what is loweenland (courtesy of Cemetery Dance)
becoming a trademark for him)
packed his cast with character actors from 1970s in the second, a shy girl (Anna Paquin) arrives
and 1980s horror films, including Malcolm Mc- for a party in the woods only to discover a deadly
Dowell (who plays Dr. Loomis, the psychiatrist secret; the third centers on a group of trick-
played by Donald Pleasance in the original ver- or-treaters who get more than they bargained
sion), Dee Wallace, Richard Lynch, Udo Kier, etc. for when they follow an urban legend; and in the
Two years later Zombie also wrote and produced last, a holiday-hating old man (Brian Cox) en-
a sequel, Halloween II. counters “Sam,” a Halloween spirit with a mis-
Trick ’r Treat (2008)— Writer/director Mi- shapen head that looks like a rotting pumpkin.
chael Dougherty’s well-reviewed anthology film Dougherty’s film (which won the Audience
features four interwoven Halloween stories that Award at the 2008 Screamfest and the Silver Au-
each explore some different aspect of the holiday: dience Award at 2009’s Toronto After Dark Film
In one, a man (Dylan Baker) who is actually a se- Festival) spawned toys (depicting Sam) and a
rial killer teaches his son to carve jack-o’-lanterns; graphic novel.
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 Index
Numbers in bold italics indicate pages with illustrations.

Abbot of Unreason 126 All-hallown Summer 7, 201 Anne, Queen (with James I of
Aberdeen 179, 206 All Hallows’ Day 7, 23, 100, 101 England) 45, 91
Aberdeenshire 31 All Hallows’ Even (also Allhallow Annwn 171
Abydos 72 Eve) 7, 100, 101, 181, 206 Anoka, Minnesota 16, 16
Acoma, New Mexico 9 “All Saints’ cakes” 12 Anthesteria 10, 16, 100, 130
acorns 5, 18 All Saints’ Day/Eve 7–10, 9 anthropomancy 16
acrostics 5 “All Saints’ Day weather” 10 Antrobus 178, 180
The Addams Family 60 “All Saints rest” 201 Apkarian-Russell, Pamela 17
Addis, M.E. Leicester 132 “All Souls’ Bread” 12 Appalachians 70
aderyn y corff 147 “All Souls’” cakes 12 apple parings 17, 17
Adler, Margot 103 All Souls’ Day/Eve 10–15 apple seeds 17–18, 19
The Adventures of Ichabod and All Souls’ Night Kachina Society apples 18–19
Mr. Toad 115 15 April Fools Day 6
Aeneas 76 All the Year Round 152 April Fools’ Day (film) 43
Africa 8, 197 Allantide 15, 82 Archer, Dennis 67
African-Americans 5–6 Allendale (Northumberland) 141 Archive of Folk Culture 173
Agar, John 108 Allentown, Pennsylvania 148 Armagh 38
“Age of Enlightenment” 50 Allerheiligen 8 Armboth House 87
“agri-tainment” (“agri- Aller-Heiligen Dag 8 Armenia 14, 167
tourism”) 58, 99, 109, 158–159 Allerseelen 12 Arthur, King 18, 47
Ahoppa Awan Tewa 6, 11 Allhallowntide 23 A.S. Fishbach Company 132
Aidan 56 Allison, Rev. Clyde 194 ash (trees) 26, 62, 124
“Aiken Drum” 34 Allison, Mary Emma 194 Ash Wednesday 128
Ailell and Maeve 140 “Allison Gross” 15 ashes 19–20
Aillen 77, 78, 171 allspice 203 Asheville, North Carolina 104
Aislinge Oenguso 68 alphabet game 15–16 assemblage 80
Akron, Ohio 107 Alternative Service Book 7 Athboy (in County Meath) 188
alabanzas 64 “The Amazing Maize Maze” 58 Athens 16
Alberta, Canada 191 American Association of Poison Atkins, Tom 44
Alcatraz 164 Control 208 Atkinson, J.C. 167
aleuromancy 79 American Book of Days 205 Atlanta, Georgia 135
Alexander, Captain J.E. 102 American Express Retail Index atole 65, 208
Alexandra, Queen (Saxony) 154 42 Auburn University 6
alfeñique 62 American Prayer Book 106 augh-ishka 153
All Around the Year: Holidays an d’a shealladh 175 “Auld Clootie/Cloots” 46, 66
and Celebrations in American Anaheim, California 48 “Auld Lang Syne” 20, 34, 155
Life 173 Anahuacalli Museum (Mexico “Auld Nick” 66
All Fools’ Day 6–7, 158 City) 145 Aurillac 86
“All-Hallow Eve in Kilkenny, Ire- Anaxarete and Iphis 153 Auschwitz 8
land” 100 Ancestor Night 16, 140, 202 Austria 13, 49, 104
all hallowentyde 99 Andrade, Mary 183 Autopsy (game) 20, 20
All-hallowmas (also allhallow- angelica 203 Avalon 18
mass) 7, 104 Angus Og 68, 171 Aztecs 62, 64, 65, 133, 133, 134, 176

243
Index 244
B. Shackman company 163 Benitez, Tomas 65 Bridgwater 42, 95
Baal 29, 71 Benwood, West Virginia 44 Brighde 33, 38
“babbling” 95 Bertolino, David 182 Brighton 97
Bacchus 130 Best, Joel 195 Bristol, Connecticut 108
backwards 21 Beverley 97 “Britons Strike Home” 94
Bacon, Francis 92 Bible 24, 184, 205 Brittany 8, 11–12, 23, 86, 122,
Bailey, Cyril 152 Biltmore Estate 104 134, 209
Bairnech 172 bingo 9 Brium 140
Baker, Rick 108 biquie 208 Brocken (mountain) 198, 199
el balche 105 Black, William 110 broom 33–34, 33
Balder the Beautiful Volume I 83 “The Black Cat” 46 broom (herb) 203
Ball, Lucille 60 The Black Death 176 “broonie” 21
The Ballad of Tam Lin (film) 184 “Black Hallowe’en” 157, 190 Brown, Bella 92, 93
Balmoral 34, 196 The Black Pirate 151 “A Brownie” 34
Balsab 169 Black Vespers 10, 11, 24 brownies 34
Baltimore 6, 211 Blackall, Dorothy Brewer 173 Brundage, Francis 154
banana trees 208 blackberries 24–25, 81 Buckinghamshire 69
“banbrishd” 81 blackthorn trees 128 Buena Park, California 158
Bannatyne, Leslie 21 Blessed Be Pagan Unity Inc. 203 Bugs Bunny 60
banshee 21 bobbing for apples 25–26, 25¸ 26 “building the house” 34
Bara Ran 180 Bogie Books 26–27, 27 Bulfinch, Thomas 153
Barbie dolls 189 bogies 27 bulls 205
Barker, Clive 107 “bogle” 174 Burbank, California 108
barley 21 Bohemia 13 “burning the clavie” 31
barm brack 22 bolas de festa 13 “burning the reekie mehr” 34
Barq’s root beer 164 Bolivia 9 “burning the witch” 34
Barrie, J.M. 151 Bon Festival 27–28 Burns, Alice Hale 149
basil 203 Bon odori 28 Burns, Bob 108
Basilica of St. Peter 7 “Bones of the Holy” 13 Burns, Gilbert 35
Batman 36 “Bonfire Boys” 95 Burns, Robert 34–35, 35
Baton Rouge 108 Bonfire Night 28–29 burstin brunies 89
bats 22, 22 “Bonfire Parkin” 97 Burt, Edward 130
Baum, L. Frank 120 Bonfire Societies 94 Burton, Tim 36
Bauman, Richard 24 “Bonfire Toffee” 97 Butsudan 27–28
bay-leaves 22 bonfires 29–32, 29, 30 buttons 36
BBC 49 bonnach salainn 169 Bwyd cennad y meirw 36, 81
Be My Guest: An Encyclopedia of bonnach samhuinn 32
Entertaining 21 Book of Common Prayer 92, 134 Cabbage Night (also “Cabbage-
The Beatles 60 The Book of Hallowe’en 55, 122, Stump Night”) 37
bedposts 22 122, 137, 153, 169 cabbages 37–38, 37
beech trees 201 Book of Leinster 172 Cader Idris 139
Beelzebub 66, 178 Borough 94 Caesar 49, 50, 69, 101
beets 22, 81 Boston 158, 173 cailleach 38
Beggar’s Night 22–23 Boulder, Colorado 49 cailleach oidhche 147
begging 165 Bowling Green State University Cailte 150, 172
Beige, Rubin and Tellie (Rubie’s 173 cake 38–39
Costume Company) 60 Boxing Day 32 “Cake-day” 111
Beistle, Martin Luther (Beistle boxty 32 Cake Night 39
Company) 55, 80, 163 Boy Scouts 103, 149, 156, 187 calacas 65
Belgium 8, 14, 39 Bozo 54 Calan-gaeaf 39
Belial 66 Brach, Emil J. (Brach’s Candy calaveras 65
Belk, Russell W. 104 Company) 42 Calcannon Night 39
bells 23, 23 Bradbury, Ray 32–33, 32 Calderón de la Barca, Fanny 63
belsnickling 23–24 Bradford, Governor 186 calendars 7, 101, 123, 129, 132,
“Belsnickling in a Nova Scotia Bradwell 97 142, 146, 152, 161, 172, 198
Island Community” 24 Bran 18 Cambridgeshire, Norfolk 53
Beltains 31 “brandered bannocks” 81 Camden, New Jersey 67
Beltane 24 Brand’s Popular Antiquities 83 Campbell, John Gregorson 122,
Ben Cooper (costume company) “A Brave Boy” (recitation) 163 126
54, 60, 98 bread 33 Campfire Girls 156
ben-weed 24 briar thorn 33 camphor 203
Benbecula 117 bridge (game) 85, 176 Canada 28, 29, 187, 191, 193
 245 Index
Candlemas Day 11, 126, 189, 206 Chiselborough 160 Cool Patch Pumpkins 59
candles 39–41, 40 Choes 16 Cooper, Alice 182
candy 41–42 “Chris Russell and the Hal- Coors 164
candy corn 42, 42 loween Queen” 17 copal incense 65
“The Candy Skull” 33 Christine 44 Corinth, Mississippi 6
“Canon Episcopi” 205 Christmas 51–52 corn 56–58, 57
Cape Verde Islands 8–9 A Christmas Carol 86 “Corn Dolly” 57
caper spurge 198 Christopher Street 148 “the corn maiden” 57
Capote, Truman 6 chrysanthemums 10, 88 corn mazes 58–59, 58
Captain Blood 151 “chubbing” 93 Corn Mazes America 58
Cardiganshire 115, 181, 182 “Church Porch Watch” 52–53, corn meal 59, 81
Caristia (Cara Cognatio) 76 134 Cornwall 15, 19, 24, 56, 106, 168,
“The Carline” (“Carlin”) 58, 198 churches 52–53 202
“Carmina Gaedelica” 111 Chutroi 16 Corpse Candles 116
Carn nam Marbh 172 Cinderella 53 corpses 59
Carnival (period preceding Lent) Circleville Pumpkin Show corrigans 72
10, 42, 128 (Ohio) 160 Costa Rica 99
“Carnival, Control, and Corpo- Civil War (American) 111, 133 costumes 55, 59–60, 59
rate Culture in Contemporary Clach á Phlaigh 172 Council of Constantinople 30
Halloween Celebrations” 104 clairvoyance 174 Cove of Colean 44, 54
carnivals 42–43 Clapsaddle, Ellen 37, 40, 82, 117, cows 60–61
Carpenter, John 43–44 143, 154, 155 crabs 99
Carterhaugh 184 Clarabell 54 Crabtree, Neil 108
Casorach the Musician 172 Clare Market 93 Crack-nut Eve 61
Cassilis Downans 44 Clark, Ada 191 “Cracknut Sunday” 142
Castle Halloween Museum 44 Claudius 50 The Craft 202
Catalonia 13 Clayton, Jack 33 The Creature from the Black La-
Catesby, Robert “Robin” 91 Cleasby (Yorkshire) 92 goon 108
Catholican Anglicum 29 Cliffe Society 94 Cromm Cruach 172
catnip 203 cloch-nan-arm 150 crossroads 61
cats 44–46, 45 clothes 53 crowdie 61
cauldrons 46–47, 47 clove 203 crows 61
cavalcade 47 clover 53 Cruachan 61
ceann féile 161, 169 clowns 53–54, 53 “crying the kern” 57
Cecil, Cornelia Vanderbilt 104 Cnoc-nan-druad 172 Cuchulain 61
Cecil, John 104 Cochiti Pueblo 15 Cullen (Scotland) 85
Cedar Hill, Texas 110 Coel Coeth 54 Cumberland 130, 205
ceiba tree 105, 183 coffee 185 Cumbria 87
ceiling 47–48 Coffin, Tristram R. 175 “The Cup of Knowledge” 186
celebrations 48–49 coffins 54 Curtis, Jamie Lee 43
Celts 49–50 Cohen, Hennig 175 Cutting Edge Haunted House
Chac 183 coins 54 108
chachak-wah 105 colcannon 54 Cwn Annwn 139
“Chalk-back Day” 50 “Cold Food Day” 51 Cyniver 62
chalking 50, 51 Colean 54
Chambers, John 108 collectibles 54–55, 55 Dafydd, Sion 118
champ 50 Collegeville 60, 111 Dagda 50, 68, 171
“champit tatties” 131 Colombia 14 Daiei 28
changelings 50–51 colors 55–56 Dalmatians 201
“the chanters of the dead” 12 Colum Kill (St. Columba) 56 Damage Night 67
Charles I 101 Columbia Broadcasting System Danbury, New Hampshire 158
Charles II 77 199 “Danse Macabre” 176
Chateaurenard 48 Columbine high school shoot- Danville, Illinois 60
Cheshire 138, 178, 179, 180 ings 110 Daoine Coire/Daoine
chestnuts 51 Commercial Square Pioneers 94 Matha/daoine sidhe 72
Chicago 85, 156, 157 “Communion of Saints” 10 Dark Shadows 60
Chichester 39 comparsas 64 Darley, Felix O.C. 114
chickens 51 “Complaint of the Charnel- darnel 31
Chieh Tsu 210 house” 11 Dathi, king of Ireland 69, 172
Chimney 51 “Complaint of the Souls” 12 The Daughter of the Samurai 27
China 11, 51, 72, 210 Coneheads 59 Davies, Edward 50
Ch’ing Ming 51 Connaught 61, 172 Dawson, Billy 118, 204
Index 246
Day of the Dead (Wiccan name Druids’ Hill 69, 172 Father’s Day 165
for Halloween) 203 Druim Cain/Druim na Descan Faust 66, 199
Days of the Dead (Días de los 170 Fave dei Morti 13, 14
Muertos) 62–66, 62, 64, 66, Dublin 75 Fawkes, Guy (Guido) 90, 91, 97
133, 145 ducks 69 FBI 195, 196
De Profundis 12 Duffield 31 fe-fiada 73, 172
deadly nightshade 203 Duke of Buccleich 129 Feanloe Night 76
de Ajofrin, Francisco 62 dulce de calabaza 65 feast of St. Peter 76
death 66 “dumb cake” 69–70 “the Feast of the autumn” 106
debts 66 dumb suppers 10 “Feast of the Souls” 14
Decoration Day 133 Dumfries 126 feathers 76
Delphi 50 Durán, Fray Diego 133, 134 “Feathertop” 173
Delta, Pennsylvania 160 Feile Moingf hinne 136
Denmark 47 each-uisge 70, 153 “Fenny Poppers” 129
Dennison 26–27, 55, 60, 80, 122, Earl of Dalkeith 129 Fenny Stratford (near Bletchley)
132, 137, 163 earrings 70 129
Depp, Johnny 36, 151 Easter 14, 16, 19, 42, 77, 103, 106, Feraferia 140
Derbyshire 8, 31, 97, 166, 175 129, 161, 164, 174, 188 Feralia 76
Dercc Corra ma hUi Daighre 18 [Link] 80 La Feria 63
Derry 49, 56, 128 Eclectic Halloween Artists Guild Ferintosh 74
Detroit 6, 67, 157 (EHAG) 80 Fermanagh 75
devil (Satan) 66–67, 66 Ecuador 77 Fershee 21
Devil’s Night 67 Edin-da-hin-Veaul 71 Festival of American Folklife 173
Devon 78 Edinburgh 48 “Festival of Colors” 112
Día de Finados (el día de los fina- Edward Scissorhands 36 Festival of the Radunitsa 76–77
dos) 13, 65, 77 eggs 71, 71 Festival of the Unforgotten Dead
Día de las Animas Benditas 62 Egypt 44, 50, 72, 90 210
Día de los Angelitos 14, 65 Egyptian Feast of the Dead 72 Festivall (1493) 148
Día de los Difuntos 62, 65, 77 Elizabeth, Princess (daughter of Festivals, Ceremonies, and Cus-
El Día de los Santos 9 James I of England) 91 toms 57
dia di fiel difunt’ 8 Elizabeth I, Queen 23, 91, 163 Festyvall (1511) 33, 178
Dickens, Charles 86, 152 Elliott, Helen 70, 144 fetch 77
“Dies Irae” 67–68 Ellis, Bill 196, 208 Fête Guédé 197
digging 68 Elmswell (East Yorkshire) 95 “Ffarwel Ned Puw” 138, 139
dinner 68 Elvira 164, 182 Fidach of Muenster 136
Dinnsenchus 172 Encyclopaedia of Antiquities fields 77
Dionysus 16 (1825) 169 Fieles Difuntos 62
“dirge-loaves” 179 The Encyclopedia of Death and Fife 122
A Discourse of the Manner of the the Human Experience 21 fili 184
Discoverie of the Gunpowder Equus Ad Nixas Fit 152 finad’ pé quebrad’ 9
Plot 91 Eriskay 169, 206 Finados 77
Disney 36, 48, 59, 115, 151 E.T. 60 Findern, Derbyshire 11
Disneyland 36, 48, 108, 151 L’Été de St. Martin 7 Finistere 12
Diss, Norfolk 50 [Link] 80 Finnie’s Club 85
Dixon, Jeane 195 “The Eve of St. Agnes” 167 Finvarra 73
Dixon, California 59 Ewigkeitssonntag 13 Firbolgs 170, 171
Dolan, Lenore K. 159, 163, 187 exercises 72 Fire 78
“dole bread” 180 Exeter 95 “The Fire o’ Love” 78
Don Post Studios 132 The Exorcist 108 Firework Night 90
Doncaster (Yorkshire) 94 fireworks 78–79, 79
Douarnenez 12 Fahrenheit 451 32 “first-footing” 111
dough 68 Fairbanks, Douglas 151 “The First to Wed” 202
Dougherty, Michael 120 fairies 72–76, 74 Fisher, Adrian 58
doughnuts 68 Fairport Convention 184 Fitzgerald, Edmund 100
Douglas, George William 205 fall equinox 104, 203 Five Hundred Points of Good
Dracula (1931 film) 108 falling star 76 Husbandry 38, 100, 150
Dracula (novel) 22 families 76 Florida State University 196
Drawing Down the Moon 103 Fan 211 flour 79
Dream of Angus 68, 171 Fangoria 108 flowers 79
dreaming stones 68 “Fantasy Fest” 48, 148 The Fly 108
dreams 68–69 Fasti 76, 125, 152 Flynn, Errol 151
Druids 69, 170 “fate cake” 70 “Flyting against Polwait” 101
 247 Index
folk art 79–80, 79 Gibson, Walter 113 Gunpowder Plot (Gunpowder
“The Folk Assemblage of Au- “Gifts” 159 Treason) 45, 90, 91–92, 93,
tumn: Tradition and Creativ- Gill-of-the-burnt-tail (also 93, 94, 96, 97
ity in Halloween Folk Art” Gillion-a-burnt-tail) 116, 117 Guptill, Elizabeth F. 34
106, 160, 173 Giordano, Luca 153 Gurley candles 41
Folklore in America 175 Il Giorno dei Morti 13 “Guy faces” 93
Folklore of the Ulster People 155 Girl Scouts 156 Guy Fawkes Day/Night 90–97,
Fomorians 61, 171 Glamorganshire 53 91, 92, 95
food 80–82 Glasgow 83 “Guy Fawkes Fireballs” 93
footprints 82 Gobble-uns 87 gypsies 97–98
Foray, June 108 Goblins 87, 87 Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune-
Forbidden Planet 108 “God Save the King” 94 Telling 98
Ford, Arthur 113 Godey’s Lady’s Book 102, 134, 149 “Gyre Carline” 104
Forfar 100 Goelitz Confectionery Co./Her-
Formosa 210 man Goelitz, Inc. 42 hair 98–99, 99
Forneris Farms 58, 159 Goethe 199 Haiti 197
Ft. Worth, Texas 108, 147 The Golden Bough 58, 78, 83 Hale, Mrs. Sarah J. 186
Fortingall 172 Goldsmith, Oliver 134 Haliday 7
fortune cake 82 Good Housekeeping 41, 98 Halifax (Great Britain) 136
fortune-telling 82–83, 82 Goosey Night 67, 87 Halifax (Nova Scotia) 37, 49
Forty Years in a Moorland Parish Gosmore (England) 161 hallamas 104
167 “Gothic” subculture 65 hallen-tide 99
Fosbroke, Rev. Thomas Dudley Gottschaulk, Davis 155 Halleve 100
169 Gottschaulk, Dreyfuss 155 Hallmark 55, 65
Fourth of July 70, 79, 119, 133 gourds 203 Hallomese 104
Fowler, W. Warde 152 Grace of God (ship) 46 Hallow buns 7
France 8, 11, 12, 24, 31, 45, 50, “Grandmothers’ Day” 15 The Hallowed Eve: Dimensions of
75, 79, 87, 90, 123, 128, 188 graveyards 87–88 a Calendar Festival in Northern
Frankenstein Festival 49 Graydon, Charles 143 Ireland 76, 173
frankincense 203 Great Depression (U.S.) 102, Hallowed Haunting Grounds
Frantz, Don 58 103, 111, 113, 157 108, 109, 109
Frazer, Sir James 83–84 “Great Hollantide Hiring Fair of “Hallowe’en” (article from
Freehold, New Jersey 157 the Island” 112 Godey’s Lady’s Book and Maga-
Freixas, Jason 154 Great Jack-o’-lantern Festival zine) 70, 149
Freya 44, 200 (Vermont) 160 “Hallowe’en” (poem by Robert
Friant, E. 9 Great Marton (Lancashire) 158 Burns) 22, 34, 35, 44, 54, 56,
Friday the 13th 43 “The Great Sabbat” 202 102, 110, 121, 125, 127, 144, 146,
Fright Times 108 Greece 10, 16, 49, 50, 100, 130 148, 180
From the Dust Returned 32 Greek Rite 10 “Hallowe’en” (poem by George
fuarag 84 Green, George 16 Macdonald) 101
Green Berets 60 “Hallowe’en” (poem by Charles
Gabriel (angel) 134 Greenwich Village 48, 85, 103, Frederick White) 5
Gallotians 84 148, 211 Halloween (film) 43–44, 43, 103,
games 84–85, 84 “Gregorian Chant” 89 193
Gardner, Gerald 202 Gregory, Dick 6 Halloween II 43
Garnet, Father Henry 91 Grey County (Ontario, Canada) Halloween III: Season of the
Gate Night 85, 85 201 Witch 43–44
gates 85 Greysteel 89 Halloween: An American Holi-
Gaul 50, 69, 172 Grimm’s Fairy Tales 53 day, an American History 21
Gay, John 98, 109, 150, 197 Grove, Gideon 97 Halloween and Other Festivals of
gay culture 85 Grülacks 89 Death and Life 82, 103, 173
Gemred 169 Grundy, Virginia R. 190 “Halloween and the Mass Child”
German Reformation 128 Guatemala 9 192
Germany 5, 8, 12–13, 49, 55, 94, Guernsey (island) 95 Hallowe’en at Merryvale 149
104, 117, 119, 128, 129, 130, 142, Guildford 95 Halloween attractions 99
155, 162, 167, 168, 198, 199, 201, Guinness Book of World Records Halloween bleeze 99
206 21, 108 Halloween: Costumes and Other
ghost stories 85–86 guising 89–90 Treats 174
ghost table 86 Gule of August 206 Halloween crab 99
“the ghostly fire” 177 Guleesh ha Guss Dhu 75, 90 The Hallowe’en Festival Book
ghosts 86–87, 86 Gundaker, Grey 119 192
The Giant Hallowe’en Book 5 Gunderstrup cauldron 47 “Halloween Friends” 187
Index 248
Hallowe’en: How to Celebrate It Hathersage 97 Holika 112
83, 102, 119, 146, 146 Haunted Attraction 107 Holland cakes 7
A Halloween How-To: Costumes, “Haunted Attraction Employee Holland Fair 112
Parties, Decorations and Desti- Handbook” 107 Hollandtide (Hollantide) 100,
nations 21 haunted houses 106–109, 106, 107 112, 205
“Halloween Imagery in Two “Haunted Mansion Holiday” 36 hollomass 104
Southern Settings” 119 Haunted Schoolhouse and holly 34
Halloween in America 54, 174 Haunted Laboratory 107 Hollywood 60
“Halloween in America: Con- The Haunting 86 Holmberg, Carl B. 142
temporary Customs and Per- Hauntworld Magazine 108 Holy Eve 100
formances” 67, 158, 173 “Haute Dog Howl’oween Pa- Holy Grail 47
“Hallowe’en in Harlem” 5 rade” 148 Holy Trinity 187
“Halloween in the Hood” 6 Hawker, R.S. 106 holy water 112, 144, 184
Halloween ladybug 99–100 hawthorn 109 Hopi Indians 183
“The Halloween Museum” (web- Hawthorne, Nathaniel 173 Hopkins, Matthew 205
site) 174 hayrides 109 Horiuchi, Gerald T. 195
Halloween Nation: Behind the hazel wood 26 horse fiddle 142, 162
Scenes of America’s Fright hazelnuts 109 horses 112
Night 21 hearth 109–110 Horseshoe and Hobnail Service
Halloween origins and develop- “Heavy-Set” 32 112–113
ment 100–104, 100 Hebrides 61 horseshoes 113
A Halloween Reader: Stories, Heigh-Ho for Halloween 192 Horton (village) 161
Poems, and Plays from Hal- Heiligenstriezel 12 Horus 72
loween’s Past 21 heliotrope 203 Hotel del Coronado 87
Halloween room (Biltmore Es- Hell House (documentary film) Houdini, Bess 113, 139
tate) 104 110 Houdini, Harry 113
Halloween sadism 104, 195 “Hell Houses” 109, 110 The House at Haunted Hill 109
Halloween Through Twenty Cen- Hemingborough 23 “House of the Living Dead” 106
turies 103 hemlock 198 house-to-house parties 113
The Halloween Tree 32, 33, 72 hemp seed 110–111 “How Thomas Connolly Met the
“A Halloween Vision” 74 Henry IV Part One 7, 201 Banshee” 21
“A Halloween Wraith” 110 Henry VIII 23, 163 Howdy Doody 54
Halloweve 100 Henscott 194 Hsieh 211
Hallow-fair 48, 99 Herefordshire 53, 179, 210 Huaquechula 64, 145
Hallow-fire 99 “Heritage Day” 6 Huckleberry Hound 60
Hallowmas (Hallowmass) 100 Herne the Hunter 181 Huddington 97
Hallowmas Fair 48 herrings 111 Hudson River 114
Hallowmess Rades 104 Hershey’s 42, 60 Huesos de Santo 13
Hallow-tide 99 Hertfordshire 93, 143 Hull, Cortlandt 108
Halottak Napja 13 Heybridge 23 Hull, Henry 108
halumes 104 Hidalgo 208 “Humpty Dumpty” 147
Hamill, Mark 108 Highland Superstitions 71 Hungary 13
Hampshire 7, 93 Hill, Debra 43 Hungry Ghost Festival 210
Hanal pixan 105 Hill of Ward (in County Meath) Hurricane Katrina 195
hanch-apple 26 188 Hurston, Zora Neale 119
Handel, George Frideric 180 Hinton St. George 160 Hutchinson, Thomas 96
Handy Helps for Halloween 163 Hiring Fairs 130, 179 Huw, Iolo ap 138, 139
Hanf, Rich 106, 107 Hirt (St. Kilda) 39, 47 hwch du gwta 181
Hardy, Thomas 30 Hitler, Adolf 199 Hzihuapa 64
Harp, Christy 159 “the Hob” 179
Harper’s Monthly Magazine 102 Hob-with-a-lantern 116 ignis fatuus 16, 204
Harper’s Young People 74 Hobbardy’s lantern 116 Iguala 145
Harris, Joel Chandler 118 hobby horse 11, 178, 180 Illinois 60, 201
harrows 105 hobgoblin 87, 153 Imbolc 161, 169
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s hoboes 111 immortelles 11, 188
Stone 44 Hoctun 105 In the Mouth of Madness 44
Hartley Wintney (Hampshire) 93 “hodening” 178, 179 India 97, 112
Harvest 105–106 Hoffman, Alice Crowell 5 Indian hyppo 203
Harvest Thanksgiving 106 Hogmanay 111–112 Indian Ocean tsunami 195
Harz Mountains 198 Holbeach 91, 97 “Indian summer” 7
Hastings 97 Holderness 95 The Innocents 86
Hatherleigh, Devon 31, 42, 95 Holi 112 the Inquisition 205
 249 Index
International Art Publishing Kachaypari 9 “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”
Company 154 kale 121, 121 86, 114, 114, 115, 119
International Association of Katsura 28 Leicestershire 8, 130
Haunted Attractions (IAHA) Kawsas Qanchis 9 Leinster 153
107 Keats, John 167 lemons 124
International Mass Retail Associ- Kedleston Park 31 Lemuria 124–125
ation 165 Kef ann Anaon 122 lennan-shee 75
Iona island 56 Kelley, Ruth E. 122, 122 Leno, Jay 182
iron 114 Kennedy, Alexander 44 Lent 42, 45, 128
irrwisch 117 Kennedy, Robert F. 136 Leonardo da Vinci 153
Irving, Washington 114–115, 114 “the kern baby” 57 leprechauns 76, 151
“Is Fada O Bhaile A D’Aith- Ketsdever, Brandon 158 Letters from a Gentleman in the
neoinn” 139 Kewpie dolls 189 North of Scotland 130
Isherwood, Wilfred 178 Key West, Florida 48, 85, 148 Lewes 42, 94, 95
Isis 72 keyholes 33, 34, 38, 52, 53 Lewis (Scotland) 175
Isle of Man 19, 112, 123, 127, 137, keys 24, 124, 127, 176 Liath Druim 170
138, 141, 168, 169 King Arthur 18 Library of Congress 173
Isle of Sein 12 “King Carnival” 128 Life Savers 60
Isle of Wight 31 King of Munster 188 lilac 203
Italy 13–14, 61, 86, 128, 201 Kingston-upon-Thames 142 lime-kilns 125–126, 125
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Kirchhof company 142 Lincolnshire 52
Brown 120 Kirscht, Matthew 79, 80 Lindberg, Seth 65
Ivanhoe 174 Kit-with-a-canstick 116 lint seed 110
ivy 115 kites 9 Linton, Adelin 103
Ixchel 183 Kitty-candlestick 116 Linton, Ralph 103
Kneale, Nigel 44 Litchfield, New Hampshire 182
J. Chein Company 142 Knightlow Cross (Warwickshire) “Little Orphant Annie” 87
“Jack Be Nimble” 147 129 Littleton, Stephen 97
Jack Frost 115 knives 122–123 livelong 126
“Jack Frost” (poem) 115 knots 123 Loch Bel Dracon 68, 171
jack-ma-lantern (also “Jacky- Knotts Berry Farm 107, 107 Loch Dorch 70
muh-lantern,” “Jacky-m-Lan- Koch, Howard 199 Loch-Veolan 168
tuhns”) 116, 118 Kramer, Heinrich 205 Locherbrigg Hill 126
“Jack Mulatta” 119 Ku Klux Klan 6 Logan, General John A. 133
Jack O’Kent 116 Kuhn, Alvin Boyd 104 Logierait 31
jack-o’-lanterns 115–120, 115, Kukla and Ollie 60 Lombardy 201
116, 117, 147 Kürbisfest 49 London 112, 113
Jack Pumpkinhead 120, 120 London Quarterly Review 169
Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz 120 Laa Houney 123 Long After Midnight 33
jackdaws 206 ladders 123 Long Beach, California 148
Jacket-a-wad 116 Lady of the Lake 73 Lopen (village) 161
“Jacky-Ma-Lantern” (story) 119 Lady Sybil of Bernshaw Tower Lord of Misrule 126
James I (England) 45–46, 91, 181 The Lord of the Rings 163
176 “Lady Wintour’s Walk” 97 Lord William of Hapton Tower
James II 28 Laguna, New Mexico 176 181
“Jamie Freel and the Young Lair Bhan 138 Los Angeles 65, 66
Lady” 75 Lake Pátzcuaro 63–64 Louis XIV 45
Janitzio 63–64 lambswool 123 Louisiana 10, 104, 108
Japan 11, 27–28, 32, 36, 72, 76 Lammas Day 123 Louisville, Kentucky 49, 211
Jefferson Memorial 203 Lancashire 19, 31, 39, 41, 76, 78, LSD 193
Jelly Belly 42 97, 124, 158, 179, 181, 186, 206 Lucifer 66, 73
Jesus Christ 119 Lantern Men 116 ludi plebeii 152
Joan-in-the-wad 116 Lanternes des Morts 123 luggie bowls 126–127, 126
“John Pumpkin Head” 120 Laoghaire 188 Lughnasad 123, 161, 169, 171, 203
Johns Hopkins University 6 laundry 124, 183 Lunantishees 128
Johnson, Lyndon B. 194 Lazaro, Andrew T. 196 Lundy, Chad 182
Johnson, Tor 132 lead 124 Lundy, Robert (“the Lundy”) 128
Jour des Morts 11, 188 Lee, Harper 6 Luther, Martin 128
Joyce, Jr. 96 Lee, Ralph 148 Luttrell Psalter 19, 25, 25
Judgment Day 73, 181 Leeds 97
Julian the Apostate 29 leeks 124 Mac Cecht 47
Juniper 198 “leet the witches” 124 MacCumal, Finn 77–78
Index 250
Macdonald, George 101 Mephistopheles 66, 199 thropomorphic Vegetables and
Macgregor, Alexander 71 Mercury Theatre 199 Fruits of Halloween 160
Mac Luchta, Fingin 75, 172 Merida 105 Morgan, Kate 87
“Mac-na-Michomhairle” 153 Mexico 9, 15, 59, 62–64, 76, 81, Morrigan 50, 136, 171, 187
the Madonna 198 104, 105, 133, 141, 145, 208 Morris, William 153
Madrid 13 Mexico, Landscapes and Popular Morwenstow (Cornwall) 106
Maes-y-felin Field 128 Sketches 63 Moscow 188
“The Magic Lead” 124 Miccailhuitl 133–134 Moss, Doris Hudson 192
A Magician Among the Spirits Miccailhuitontli 133–134 Mother Goose 137
113 mice 206 Mother Helston 181
magusto 13 Michael (archangel) 134 Mother’s Day 165
mah-jongg 9 Michaelmas 134 Mt. Nyogatake 28
Maighdean Bhuan 75 Michigan 11, 145, 195 mountain ash 166
The MAiZE 58 Michoacán 63 Moxley, Martha 136
Malkin Tower 206 Middlesex 23 Mrastyr 137
Mallaroe 172 Midhna 77 mucbil chicken 105
Malleus Maleficarum 205 midnight 134 Muck Olla 137–138
“The Man Who Missed the Tay “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Mucklebones’ Monster Museum
Bridge Train” 77 154 107
mandrake 203 Midsummer’s Eve 134 Mugna 18
mangolds 160, 161 Mihuq 9 mugwort 203
Mardi Gras 128 milfoil 134 Muigmedon, King Eochu 136
“Mardi Gras” (Nova Scotia cele- Milford, Connecticut 6 Mull 186
bration) 49 milk 134 “mumble-ty-apple” 26
Marian, Ohio 107 Milky Way 42 mumming 138
Marian persecution 94 The Miller and His Child 13 The Mummy 108
marigolds 63, 64 “The Miller’s Daughter” (also Muran, Dennis 108
Market Drayton 53 “The Miller’s Wedding”) 20 Murray, Margaret 202
Marlborough (in Wiltshire) 94 Milton, John 153 music 138–139, 138
The Martian Chronicles 32 Mindszenti Kalacska 12 “My Sweetheart’s the Man in the
“Martilmasse Day” 129 Minneapolis 156, 156, 157 Moon” 139
Martin, Steve 60 Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border “My Wish” 191
“Martinalia” 131 74, 174, 184 Mystick Krewe of Comus 128
Martini 131 mint 203
Martinmas 128–131, 130 Mirk’s Festival 179 Nagasaki 28
Martinsal Hill 131 mirrors 134–136, 135 Nangangaluluwa 14
die Martinsgans 130 Mischief Night 136 Naples 14
Martinslaternen 129 Mission Hills, California 58 National Book Foundation 33
Martinstag 131 mistletoe 136 National Candy Corn Day 42
“Martlemas Eve” 130 Mitzita 64 National Guard 196
The Marvelous Land of Oz 120, Mixquic 63 National Haunt and Attractions
120 Mizzy Night 67 Show 107
Mary, Queen 23 Mobile, Alabama 128 National Magic Day 139
Maryland 70, 71, 86 “A Model Halloween” 190 National UNICEF Day 194
“La Mas Ubhal” 123 Mog Roith 188 Natural History (magazine) 173
mashed potatoes 131 Moggallana 28 “Ned Pugh’s Farewell” 138
masks 66, 131–132, 131 Moingfhionn (also Moing- needles 139–140
Massachusetts 38, 96, 186 fhinne) 136 neep lanterns 140
Mat Night 67 Molly Maguires 146 neighbors 140
matches 132 The Monastery 56, 174, 175 Neil, Cydney 108
“Math Son of Mathonwy” 147 Mongfind 136 Neill, John R. 120
Mattel 189 The Monkees 60 Nelkin, Stacey 44
May Day/Eve 132 Monmouthshire 180 Neo-Druids 172
Mayans 63, 105, 183, 208 monologs 136 Neo-Pagans 140
Maylin 30 Monroeville 6 Nera 140
Mayo (county) 75 “Monster Mash” 139, 182 Netherlands 129
McDonald’s 60, 194 Monteagle, Lord 91 netlore 196
Medford, Oregon 191 Montgomerie, Alexander 101, New Brunswick 19, 71
Mellitus, Abbot 89, 183 181 New Hampshire Pumpkin Festi-
Melzi, Francesco 152, 153 moon 136–137, 137 val 160
Memorial Day 133 Moore, Alan 97 New Jersey 87
“Meow, Meow” (game) 46, 85 More Halloween Collectibles: An- New Mexico 9, 15
 251 Index
New Orleans 9–10, 48, 65, 88, 128 Ogden, Utah 108 Pantheon 7
New Orleans Historic Voodoo O’Hanlon, Shaun 145–146 pantomimes 147
Museum 197 Ohato 28 Papa Legba 197
New Year’s 140–141 O’Herlihy, Dan 44 parades 147–148
New York 6, 59, 148, 154, 158, Ohio 159, 160, 193 Paradise Lost 153
160, 163, 186, 187, 203, 211 Oiche Feil na Marg 146 Parentalia 148
New York Times 102 Oiche na Spirdeanna 146 “Parkin Day” 97
New Zealand 96 Oiche Shamhna 146 Parshell (also parshal) 148
Newfoundland 15, 28 Oiche Shean Shamhain 146 parties 148–149, 149
Newman, Pat 132 Oidche Na H-Aimléise 146 “the parting of the white bread”
Newton Castle 87 Oklahoma City 211 150
“Night of the Candle” 15 Old Bellamy 94 the Pater Noster 209
“the night of the long Rosary” 146 “Old Belsnickle” 23 Patterson, Lillie 153
The Nightmare Before Christmas Old Gold cigarettes 164 Payment of Wroth Silver 129, 130
36, 36, 44, 120, 189 “Old Halleve” 102 peas 150
Nightmare New England 182 “Old Halloween Eve/Day” 146 peat 150
Nile 72 “Old Hob” 178 Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure 36
nine 141 The Old Religion 202 Peg-a-lantern 116
9/11 terrorist attacks 60, 104, 107, “Old Samhain Day/Eve” 172 Peltznickel 23
136, 193, 195, 196 ollam 184 Pembroke College 93
Ninín 141 Olmedo, Dolores 145 Pendle (forest) 124, 206
noisemakers 47, 137, 141–142, Omnium Defunctorum 10 Pennant, Thomas 30
141, 147, 162, 206 “On Nuts Burning, Allhallows Pennsylvania 21, 69, 109, 195
Nonius Marcellinus 125 Eve” 143 Pentecost 7
Norfolk 95 Oonagh 73 Pentecostal Abundant Life
Normandy 87, 174 “opening of the gates of Hell” Christian Center (Colorado)
Norse mythology 44, 200 210 110
North, Lord 96 The Oprah Winfrey Show 195 Perthshire 87, 99
North Berwick 46 Oreo cookies 164 Peru 15
North Carolina 118 “Original Hounds” 187 “Peter Malone” 75
North Hollywood 132 Orisha 203 Peter Pan 151
North Lincolnshire 82 Orkney 201 Peter Puppet Playthings, Inc. 54
Northumberland 57, 97, 141 Orne, Martha Russell 146 Petersfield 7
Nos Calan Gaeaf 142, 169 osier 146 pets 60, 148
Nosferatu 107 Osiris 10, 72, 100 Pez 55
Nostradamus 196 O’Sullivan, Humphrey 39 Pfeil, Helen 195
Nottinghamshire 18, 92 Ouija board 83, 84 Phases in the Religion of Ancient
Nova Scotia 24, 37, 49, 160, 193 Ouse (river) 94 Rome 152
November Eve 142 Outer Hebrides 169 Philippines 9, 14
“November Eve” (folktale) 73, Ovid 76, 125, 152, 153 phó-to 210
142 owls 147, 147 Phocas 7
November the Fifth 90 Oxford 93 Phrygia 50
Nutcrack Night 142 Oxford English Dictionary 48, 183 Pickett, Bobby “Boris” 139, 182
nutmeg 81, 144, 203 Oxfordshire 93 Picts 56
nuts 142–144, 143 Pierce’s Charity 150
Pack-rag Day 130 Pilgrims 186
oaks 5, 18, 69, 136, 150, 186, 188, “Paddy Corcoran’s Wife” 75 “The Piper and the Puca” 153
203 “Paddy Mac and Paddy Beg” 75 pirates 151, 151
oats 144–145 Pagan Celtic Britain 199 Pirates of the Caribbean 151
Oaxaca 208 pageants 147 Pirekuas 63
O’Bryan, Timothy Mark 195 Pala Reservation 15 Pithoigia 16
obsidian 203 paleles picados 65 pixies 151
Oceanside, California 15 Palermo 14 Placundis Manibus 148
Ochavario 208 palh’ fed’ 9 Plan Nine from Outer Space 132
Octave Day 7 “Palug’s cat” 44 Playboy 182
“The October Game” 32–33 Pan (Greek god) 66, 153 plays 151
Odawa Ghost Supper 145 pandy 50 Plot Night 90
Odin 178, 179 Pane dei Morti 13 “Plot Toffee” 97
Odinists 140 Panellets 13 Plough Day 151–152
Of Mules and Men 119 Panes de muertos (pan de muer- Plutarch 72
Office of the Dead 10, 14 tos) 64, 65 Poe, Edgar Allan 46
ofrenda 145, 145 panikhida 77 Poland 8, 12, 104
Index 252
polasenya 6 pupi de cera 14 Roma (Romani) people 97–98
Pomona 152–153, 152 Purepécha Empire 63, 64 The Roman Festivals of the Period
“Pomona” (poem) 153 Purgatory 161 of the Republic 152
“Pomona and Vertumnus” 152 Purgatory Field 161 Romania 49, 133
Pooka 153–154 Rome 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 18, 49, 50,
Poor Robin’s Almanack 92 quarter days 161–162 76, 81, 90, 100, 124–125, 130,
popcorn 154 quicken (also quickbeam) 166 148, 152, 153
Pope Alexander IV 205 Quinquagesima 14 Romulus and Remus 125
Pope Benedict XV 10 Quintana Roo 63 Roodmas (Rood Day) 206
Pope Boniface IV 7, 125 Roper, Helen 203
Pope Day/Night 90, 96, 154 rabbit’s foot 162 rosemary 166
Pope Gregory I 8, 89 Radical Faeries 203 Rosen, E. (Rosbro Plastics) 55
Pope Gregory III 7 ragweed 24 roses 166, 166
Pope Gregory IV 7 rain 162 Ross, Anne 199
Pope Gregory XIII 101 “The Raisin Race” 81, 162 Ross-shire 77
Pope Innocent VIII 205 raisins 162 Rousalia 16
Pope Silvester II 10 rakes 162 rowan 166–167
Pope Sixtus IV 7 Ramsey, Helen 187 Rubens, Peter Paul 153
Popular Beliefs and Superstitions: Raphael (angel) 134 Rubies Costume Company 60
A Compendium of American “Rastus Goes Walking” 5 Rudd, Justin 148
Folklore 60 Ratches, Gabriel 181 rue 198
“Pork Acre” 23 Ratcliffe, Thomas 175 Russell, Chris 17, 44
“Pork Night” 96, 154 Ratliff, George 110 Russia 76–77, 188
Porphyrion 124 rattletrap 162–163, 162 Rye (village) 94
Portland, Oregon 192 Ravello 14
Portugal 13 ravens 147 “‘Safe Spooks’: New Halloween
postcards 17, 23, 26, 33, 37, 40, Raza, Cynthia 207 Traditions in Response to
51, 53, 57, 71, 82, 85, 86, 87, “The Razor Blade in the Apple: Sadism Legends” 196, 208
99, 103, 116, 117, 121, 125, 126, The Social Construction of sage 167
135, 138, 143, 154–155, 154, 155, Urban Legends” 195 Saimhain 169
166, 177, 185, 186, 199, 209 Reagan, Ronald 85, 94 Sainfuin 169
The Pot of Gold 160 “Receiving Ancestors Festival” St. Agnes 167
Potato Famine 73, 102, 155 210 St. Agnes’ Eve 167
Poussin, Nicolas 153 Rechrainn (island) 61 St. Andrew 167
“Powder treason day” 95 recitations 163 St. Andrew’s Day 167–168
Power Puff Girls 60 red 163 St. Brigid’s Day 148, 169, 183
pranking 103, 155–158, 155, 156 “Red Mike” 37–38 St. Chrysostom 7, 205
Preta 28 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups 42 St. Clair, Sheila 155
Price, Vincent 108 the Reformation 163 St. Clement Danes (Middlesex)
The Prince of Darkness 44 Reformation Sunday 158 113
progressive parties 113 Reformed Druids 140 St. Dunstan’s Tavern 101
Prohibition 103 Remembrance Day 163 St. Ephrem Syrus 7
Protestant Reformation Day 158 Renaissance 163 St. Faith’s Day 167
Provence 12 retailing 163–165, 164 St. Gregory 89
Pryce, Jonathan 32, 33 The Return of the Native 30 St. Helen’s Day 167
Psalm caking 158 Retz, Austria 49 St. Hippolytus 205
Psycho 107 rezanderas 64 St. John, New Brunswick
Psychosabbaton 10 rhyming 165 (Canada) 19
PTA 157 Rice Krispies 164 St. John the Baptist 29, 134, 183
puca 153, 154 Richard II (play) 104 St. John’s Eve 45, 69, 134
puck 154 Riley, James Whitcomb 87 St. Just’s Feast 168
Puckett, Newbell Niles 60 Rincon Reservation 15 St. Luke’s Day 7
Puebla 64 Ringing-Day/Night 23, 97 “St. Luke’s Summer” 7
Pugh, Ned 138, 139 Rio Grande City 65 St. Mark’s Eve 52, 69, 82, 134
“Pulling of the Kale” 121, 122 “Rip Van Winkle” 114–115 St. Martin 129
pulque 64 Ripon, Yorkshire 39 “St. Martin’s house” 129
“The Pumpkin” (poem) 119 “Rive-kite Sunday” 129 “St. Martin’s Summer” (also “St.
“The Pumpkin Giant” 160 Rivera, Diego 145 Martin’s Little Summer”) 7,
pumpkin patches 158–159, 158 roads 165–166 201
pumpkin pie 159 Rob Roy 174 St. Matrimony 132
pumpkins 154, 158, 159, 159–160 Robards, Jason 33 “St. Michael’s cakes” 134
Punkie Night 160–161 Rocky Point, Utah 108, 109 St. Moroky 204
 253 Index
St. Odilo (also St. Odilon) 145 “the scrag” 93 Skye 122
St. Patrick 150 scrying 83 Slane (Ireland) 188
St. Patrick’s Day 85, 150, 161, 164 sea 174 Slaugham 93
St. Peter 118, 119 Sears, Roebuck 60 Sleepy Hollow 36, 115
St. Sarkis 167 Sechrist, Elizabeth Hough 192 “Slenderfoot Army” 187
“St. Swithin’s Chair” 168 second sight 174–175 Sligo (county) 69
“sal-mass” 158 “second summer” 7 sloes 24, 39, 128
Salem, Massachusetts 48, 207, Seelenbrot 12 Sluath 177
207 Seelenlichter 8 Smith, Dick 108
Salerno 14 Seelennächte 12 Smith, Stuart 109
Salop (county) 113 Seelenwecken 12 Smithsonian Institution 173
salt 168–169 Selick, Henry 36, 120 Smurfs 189
Salt Lake City 108 Selkirk (Scotland) 184 snails 177
Saman (also Samain) 169 September 11 see 9/11 terrorist snap-apple 19, 177, 177, 178
Samana 50, 169 attacks Snap-Apple Night 177
Samhain (also Samhein) 169– Septuagesima 14 snapdragon 177–178
172, 170 Set (Egyptian god) 72 Snickers 42
Samhanach 172 Setoun, Gabriel 115 Snotching Night 178
Lá Samhna 169 Sexagesima Sunday 10, 14 snowbirds 178
Samhnag (also Samhnagan, shadow 175 Society of American Magicians
Samh-nag) 172–173 Shadowfest 140, 203 139
samhradh 169 Shakespeare, William 7, 22, 104, Solomona, Pete Tavita 158
Samhtheine 169 154, 201 “somas” cakes 179
La Samon (La Samhin) 169 Sham-in 169 “Some Roman Remains” 152
Samonios 169 Shandy Dann 34 Something Wicked This Way
Samuin (also Samhuin, Lá Shean Shamhain 146, 172 Comes 32, 32
Samhuinn) 169 Shebbear, Devon 194 “sonsie kebbuck” 81
Samvat 112 sheep 130, 171, 176 “soul bread” 13
San Antonio 65 Sheep Meadow (New York) 203 soul cakes 178–179
Sanburn, Dwayne 108 Shepherd’s Calendar 201 “soul food” 12
San Diego 87 The Shepherd’s Week 98, 109, Soul-mass cakes/loaf 179
San Francisco 49, 85 150, 197 Soul-mass Day 179
San Luis Potosi 208 Sherbourne 29 Soul-mass hirings 48, 179
Santa Maria Rotunda 7 Shetland 21, 89, 105 “Soul Nights” 12
Santa’s Village (Southern Cali- The Shining 107 soulers 11, 138, 179
fornia) 120 Shintoho 28 souling 179–180
Santeria 203 shirts 53, 175 South Street Juveniles 94
Santiago Atitlan Indians 9 shoes 175 South Uist 169, 206
Santino, Jack 173 Sholty, Les 139 sows 181
Santo Domingo 15 Shoney (also Shony) 175–176 sowens (also sowans) 180
Sartorius, Carl Christian 63 Shoryobuni 28 spaewife 83
Saskatchewan 194 Shropshire 53, 118, 150, 179, 180, Spain 8, 13, 75
Satan 66, 118, 204 202 Spectre Huntsman 181
Satanic cults 46, 196 Shrove Tuesday 128 Spencer Gifts 164
“Saturday of the Souls” 10 shrubbery 176 spiders 181
Sauin 123 Shuma Sashti 176 Spirit Halloween stores 164
Saumas 10 Sicily 14 “Spirit Night” 146
“saumas loaves” 179 sidhe 21, 72, 75, 140, 172, 207 Spirit Nights (Welsh) 181
Savnag 172 Sidhe Finnachaidh 77 “The Spoils of Annwn” 47
Saxons 56 sieve 176 Spooky World 182, 182
Saxony 10, 154 The Simpsons 60 Sprenger, Jacob 205
“scadding the peas” 173 Sionnach 118 Springer, Jerry 182
Scandinavia 200 sith 207 Springfield, Vermont 160
scarecrows 173–174, 174 The Sixth Sense 86 spunky 203
Schmucker, Samuel 154 Skakel, Michael 136 “Square Back Rangers” 187
Schneider, Stuart 174 “Skeleton Day” 176 Squib Night 90
Schuddekorfsdag 13 skeletons 176–177, 176 “the squibbing” 95
Scooby Doo 60 The Sketch Book of Geoffrey squirrels 31
Scott, Sir Walter 174 Crayon, Gent. 114, 134 Staffordshire 130, 179, 180
“Scottish Fairy Rade” 181 sketlets 177 stampy 182
Scotton (village in Yorkshire) Skinner, Ada M. 115 Star Trek 60, 163
93, 97 Skinner, Eleanor L. 115 Star Wars 55, 60, 163, 193
Index 254
Statistical Account of Iona 56 Teggart, B.M. 5, 32 Tower Hamlets 95
Statistical Account of Scotland Tehuanos 208 toys 188–189, 189
99, 100 teine eigen 186, 188 Trails of Terror 189
Steeleye Span 184 teine Sionnachain 118 TransWorld Halloween, Cos-
Stevenson, Robert Louis 151 teine sith 203 tume and Party Show 107
Stewart, Martha 160 Teir nos Ysbrydion 181, 186 Treasure Island 151
stiles 182 Templars 101, 113 trees 189
stock 182 Tenek tribe 64, 208 Trena Samna 189
Stoker, Bram 22 Teruscan 64 trick or treat 189–194, 190, 191
Stone, Sir Benjamin 30, 57, 130 “The Test of the Nuts” 143 “Trick or Treat: Pre-texts and
Stone, Gregory P. 192 Tet 211 Contexts” 56
Stonehenge 44 Texas 65, 87, 108 Trick or Treat Trader 17, 54
Strange, Glenn 132 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Trick ‘R Treat (film) 120
Strathspey 166 182 Trinidad 9, 128
straw 182–183 Thanksgiving 186–187, 186 “troll” dolls 189
“The Straw Phantom” 173 Thar(f ) cake 97 Trung Nguyen 211
“Strawberry Shortcake” 60 “Their Grandfathers Arrive from Tuatha de Danaan 61, 77, 170, 171
Strawboys 183 the West” 15 Tuck, Raphael 154, 154, 186
Strega 203 They Live 44 Tuleja, Tad 56
Strucel Swiateczne 12 “thigging” 90 tumbas vivientes 145
Studio City, California 108 The Thing 44 turning the Devil’s stone 194
Stukeley, William 50 “Things That Go Snap-Rattle- turnips 194
Suffolk 53 Clang-Toot-Crank in the Tusser, Thomas 100
Sugimoto, Etsu Inagaki 27 Night: Halloween Noisemak- Twelfth Day/Night 128, 151
sulphur 183 ers” 142 Twelfth of July 28
summer solstice 169 Third Festival of Harvest 203 “Twelve Great Black Cats and
Super Bowl Sunday 164 Thirlmere Lake 87 the Red One” 46
superstitions 183 13th Gate (haunted house) 108 Two Gentlemen of Verona 22
“Superstitions” (poem) 5 This Island Earth 108 Tylenol 195
Sussex 25, 94, 142, 201 thistles 155 tylweth teg 72
Sweden 201 Thompson, Ruth Plumly 120 Typhon 72
“swedes” 194 Thor 97 Tzintzuntzan 63
Sweeney (Shropshire) 150 thread 187 tzompantli 133
Switzerland 117, 205 three 187
Sycamore, Illinois 160 three-legged stool 61 “Uist Lights” 117
syncretism 183 Three Musketeers 42 Uncle Remus: His Songs and His
Syrian-Antiochene Rite 14 “Three Spirit Nights” 67, 181, 186 Sayings 119
“The Three Wishes” 204 Undas 9, 14
T. Cohn company 142 ticktacks 187–188 UNICEF 194–195
“Table-talk” 167 “Ticktack’s the Thing” 187 Union Products 55
taghairm 45 Tigernmas, King 172 United Nations 194
taibhsear 175 The Time Machine 108 U.S. Metal Toy 142
Taibhshe 207 tindles (also tinley) 188 Universal Studios 107, 132
taisch (taishitaraugh) 175 Tiny Tim 182 urban legends 195–196
Taiwan 210 Titian 153 Utah 58, 108
Tal y Clegyr 138 Tlachtga 188 Utrecht 13
“Tam Glen” 35 Tlaxochimaco 133
“Tam Lin” 184 To Kill a Mockingbird 6 V for Vendetta 97
“Tam O’Shanter” 35, 66 tobacco 188 Valentine’s Day 42, 69
tamales 208 Todos Santos 9, 62 valerian 203
Taman 184 Toei 28 Vallancey, Charles 169
Tambor to Oguan 203 Toland, John 50 Vampires 44
“Tamlane” 184 “Tom Trot” 93, 97 Vanderbilt, George 104
Tansey Feast 185 The Tonight Show 182 Van Dyck, Anthony 153
Tara 48, 77, 170 The Topaz Story Book: Stories and Vassar College 137
tattie bogles 185 Legends of Autumn, Halloween Venice 67
Te-châng ông 211 and Thanksgiving 115 Veracruz (Mexico) 141
tea leaves 185–186, 185 Toronto 49 Vertumnalias 153
Teamhair 170 Toston, Kevin 195 “Vertumnus and Pomona” 153
Teanlas 31, 78, 186, 188 Totensonntag 13 The Vicar of Wakefield 134
Teanlay 186 Totonac Indians 141 “A Victim of the Window-Soap-
“Tear-stomach Sunday” 129 Toussaint 188 ing Brigade?” 192
 255 Index
Victoria, Queen 34, 196 “When Johnny Comes Marching Withering Day 207
Victorians 196–197 Home”/“When Hallowe’en Wittenberg, Germany 128, 158
Vienna 13 Comes Round Again” 139 wittern 166
Vietnam 211 whist 85 Wolf Brothers 154
“The Vigil of the Little Angels” Whistle Wassail Night 100, 202 Wombourne 97
64 Whitby 179 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 120
Vinalia 130 White, Charles Frederick 5 wood 207
Virgin Mary 183 white hare 202 Wood, Edward D., Jr. 132
Volunteers of America 156 Whitelocke, Bulstrode 101 “The Wood of Dubhros” 166
Voodoo (also voudoun, vodou) Whitsun 129 “Words and Pictures” (TV pro-
197 Whittier, John Greenleaf 119 gram) 207
Vosges 86, 114 whitty 166 World Book Encyclopedia 21
“Voyage of Maildun” 44 Wicca 202–203 World War I 55, 131, 147, 188
vultures 61 “wicked wichts” 74 World War II 8, 16, 127, 131, 157,
“wicker man” 29, 171 192, 194, 199
Walken, Christopher 36 wiggen 166 World’s First Pumpkin Regatta
walking 197 “Wild Huntsman” 181 160
Walkington 185 Wilkins-Freeman, Mary 160 wraith 207
Wall, Bernhardt 57, 155 Will-o’-the-wisp 203–204 Wud, Gwyn ab 139
walnuts 197–198 William III 28 “wuller-wups” 118
Walpurga 198 Williamson, Thomas 130 Wypominki 12
Walpurgisnacht (also Walpurgis willows 204
Night) 198–199 Wilmington, Delaware 160 X-rays 208
Wandering Jew 119 Wiltshire 94, 170 Xa aktumajat 141
“Wandering Souls Day” 211 wind 204–205 Xandu Ya 208
War of the Worlds (radio play) 199 Windsor Castle 196 Xantolo 208
Warwickshire 129 Windsor Pumpkin Regatta 160 Xocotl uetzi 133
Washington, George 96 Winsch, John 154
Washington, D.C. 203 Winter Calends 142 Yablans, Irwin 43
water 199–201, 199 winter solstice 179, 203 Yalalag 64
Waterford 146 Winter’s Day 207 Yann Postick 209
the Waterloo 94 Wintour, Gertrude 97 Yarmouth 30
Waters, Ethel 6 Wintour, Robert 97 yarn 209–210, 209
Watteau, Antoine 153 “wirrey-cows” 27 yarrow 134, 203
Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years wishing 205 yew 210
Since 168, 174 The Witch-Cult in Western Eu- ylang-ylang 203
wax 41, 197, 198 rope 202 Y.M.C.A./Y.W.C.A. 103, 156
weather 201–202 “witch-wood” (“witch-posts”) Ynys Avallach 18
“Web of Fate” 181 166 York 123
wedding ring 202 Witchcraft and Second Sight in Yorkshire 24, 39, 92, 93, 94, 95,
Welles, Orson 199 the Scottish Highlands 122, 126 97, 129, 179, 185
Wells, H.G. 199 witches 33, 151, 205–207, 206, Yucatan 63, 105
Werewolf of London 108 207 Yue Laan 210–211
West Coker 181 “Witches Gathering Hymn” 126 Yule 52
West Hollywood, California 48, “Witches’ Ink” 207 Yule Boys 89
85 Witches International Craft As-
West Virginia 23–24, 44 sociates 203 Zapotecs 64, 208
Western Costume Company 60 Witches’ Night Before Halloween zempasuchitl 63, 64
Western Folklore 173 21 Zombie, Rob 43
“the wetting of the sark sleeve” “Witches of Halloween” 207 zoos 211
175, 199–200, 199 “Witch’s Cauldron” 20 Zuñi Pueblo 6, 11, 15
wheat 202 Witch’s Dungeon 108
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